Esbjerg eliminate Podravka with straightforward win

Danish powerhouse Team Esbjerg secured their seventh win in a row in this season of the DELO EHF Champions League, 30:17, against HC Podravka Vegeta, subsequently eliminating the Croatian side from contention for the play off round with three group phase rounds to go in group A.

GROUP A
Team Esbjerg (DEN) vs HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) 30:17 (18:7)

• Podravka failed to create easy shots in the start of the game, as Esbjerg’s great defence enabled the hosts to jump to a 9:2 early lead
• the seven goals scored in the first 30 minutes was Podravka’s worst first half performance in the DELO EHF Champions League since November 2015 (six at Thüringer HC)
• the Danish side set a new record for the lowest number of goals conceded in a game in the European premium competition, 17, one less than against IK Savehof in November 2016
• Podravka lost their tenth game in a row this season, creeping in to their worst-ever streak, 14 games lost in a row, set between September 2020 and March 2021
• Esbjerg can secure a quarter-finals berth as early as next week with a win against Buducnost BEMAX

Hassle-free win for Esbjerg

The hosts cemented their first place in the standings, opening a three-point gap ahead of Rostov, with another clear win against Podravka, a team that was limited to a meagre 33 per cent efficiency in attack. It was also Esbjerg’s second-biggest ever win in the competition, only two goals shy than the record set this season against Buducnost, 35:20. Podravka lost their 24th in the last 27 DELO EHF Champions League games. With plenty of injured players and without one of their best scorers of the season, back Bianca Bazaliu, who left for Romanian side Gloria Bistrita, the Croatian side will play their last three games only to prevent ending on the last place in the standings.

Jesper Jensen, head coach Team Esbjerg: "We are happy with the win. We expected a tough match, but we started well in the first half. Our mid-week match in the national league did not go well, so we had things to prove. The effort from the players was good, so we are happy with the big win."

Kaja Kamp, line player Team Esbjerg: "I really like the fight in these matches. More than in the national league. I just like it when we can use our physique."

Antonio Pranjic, assistant coach HC Podravka Vegeta: "We are not happy only having 2 points at this moment in the Champions League, but injuries early on in the tournament was an issue for us."

Iryna Stelmakh, line player HC Podravka Vegeta: "Team Esbjerg are hard to play against. The first half was awful, but it got better during the second half, but injuries is an issue for us at the moment."