MOTW SUMMARY: Metz top group A after victory vs FTC

• coverage of EHF Champions League Women 2024/25 Match of the Week for round 5
• Metz Handball break FTC's winning streak after masterclass from Cléopatre Darleux secures 24:19 victory
  
• also on Saturday: Storhamar beat Nykøbing 33:28, Podravaka defeat Gloria 29:25, and CSM Bucuresti win 31:29 against Krim Mercator Ljubljana
• check out the MOTW interview with Valeriia Maslova here
• read the round preview here and check the group standings
• all matches live on EHFTV (subscription and geo-restrictions apply)
• photos courtesy of Kevin Clement/Cedosa 380/Metz Handball

20:10

We finish our coverage tonight with the highlights of the Match of the Week - enjoy!

20:07

Here's today's match reviews, including our thrilling Match of the Week which definitely lived up to its billing tonight! 

Don't forget there's four more games in round 5 to come tomorrow, including the top of group B clash between Brest Bretagne and Györi Audi ETO KC. Can Brest copy Metz and deliver another victory for a French side over a Hungarian team? There'll be coverage on our social media channels and EHFTV as well as the usual day review of those four games tomorrow afternoon.

19:44

A little historical factoid for you: the last time Metz kept FTC to fewer than 20 goals was 25 years ago, when they beat the Hungarian side 20:19 in a Champions League group phase match. Since then, the games between the two have tended to have many more goals scored.

19:32

What a performance from Cléopatre Darleux. Unsurprisingly, she's named Player of the Match of the Week as Metz celebrate their victory.

CSM Bucuresti have just beaten Krim Mercator Ljubljana 31:29 to keep group A very interesting - all four top teams now have four victories, but Metz are top as they have added one draw while FTC, Krim and CSM have all lost one game so far.

17:57

The players are warmed up, and the match will throw off very soon.

17:45

Just 15 minutes until MOTW throws off - make sure you're following our Instagram account for live updates!

Here's some of the key facts about the game.

• Metz won four out of the six encounters at home against FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria, most recently in February 2024, by 25:24; overall, FTC won 10 out of 20 clashes between the two
• FTC have the third-best attack of the competition with 123 goals scored — or 30.75 goals per game on average — while Metz are only short behind with 120 goals
• Metz' goalkeeper Zsófi Szemerey played for FTC from 2018 to 2020; FTC's right back Valeriia Maslova will also face her former teammates
• Sarah Bouktit (25 goals) and Chloé Valentini (24 goals) are the two best individuals for Metz
• Angela Malestein (21) and Daria Dmitrieva (19) are FTC's top scorers so far

17:40

Elsewhere today, Storhamar Handball Elite have just earned themelves their first win of the season, beating Nykøbing Falster Håndbold 33:28 in Denmark. And after scoring just seven goals in their first half against HC Podravka Vegeta, CS Gloria 2018 BN had a better second half but had left themselves too much to do. Podravka win 29:25, also securing their first victory of the group phase, in what ended up as a showdown between two outstanding Croatian goalkeepers, Ivana Kapitanovic (eight saves, 40 per cent efficiency for Gloria) and Lucija Bešen (12 saves, 36 per cent efficiency for Podravka).

17:35

Here's the squad for Metz today - a strong line-up!

17:28

This week's feature interview ahead of the Match of the Week saw EHF journalist Danijela Vekić catch up with FTC's Valeriia Maslova, who arrived in Budapest from a stellar season with Brest Bretagne Handball last year. Maslova knows Metz well - not only did she play against them last year in the domestic league, she used to play for them too. In fact, in 2022/23, Metz, featuring Maslova, were knocked out of the Champions League by FTC in the quarter-finals. 

Find out why victory is what matters now for Maslova as she makes her return to the Metz arena, but this time wearing green and white.

17:15

Welcome to our live blog for the Match of the Week for round 5 of the EHF Champions League Women, in which Metz Handball host FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria. Both sides are unbeaten so far this year - Metz with three wins and a draw, FTC with four wins - and either could take victory today. Stay with us for the build-up and all the highlights of the match to come.

To start with, here's the round preview.