Storhamar end six-match losing run

GROUP B

Kastamonu Belediyesi GSK (TUR) vs Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR) 28:33 (13:17)

• right from the start Storhamar imposed their own pace and displayed strong defensive play; as a result, Kastamonu scored their first goal in the seventh minute, courtesy of Mouna Chebbah
• after a 5:0 lead from the first whistle, Storhamar were retaining the supremacy and the one player that stood between an even bigger lead was Turkish goalkeeper Merve Durdu
• Mouna Chebbah was efficient in the 5-1 defence, stealing the ball two times and also scoring easily into an empty net, reducing the gap to 13:17
• the gap reached the double-digits after ten minutes of the second half as Anniken Obaidli and Susanne Amundsen produced some nice goals
• the home team could not sustain a high level throughout which led to Katarina Jezic's top performance for narrowing the deficit (25:30), but not enough for making a surprise
• Storhamar are now in front by three points, having good chances for their maiden play-offs berth

Light at the end of the tunnel

Storhamar in their debutant EHF Champions League season only saw two wins, in September and October 2022 over Lokomotiva and Kastamonu. The Norwegian club waited almost three months to break the curse of six consecutive defeats in Europe's top flight. Again, Storhamar stopped the Turkish side after previously defeating them in round 4 of the competition by 31:29.