Summary: Esbjerg and Dortmund end group on a high
17:24 | FULL-TIME
Borussia 09 Dortmund 32:24 Odense Håndbold
Borussia's bright end to the group phase concludes with an impressive win over Odense. A defensively sound performance and some great performances down the other end, including seven goals from Inger Smits.
Despite earning five points in their last three games, they finish seventh in group A and will face Metz in the play-off, while Odense have a Scandinavian derby to look forward to against Vipers.
17:09
Meanwhile, an update on the SCM Ramnicu Valcea (ROU) vs Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) match.
Brest were unable to travel to Romania due to the cancellation of their flight because of bad weather conditions. As no alternative could be found and the match had to be cancelled.
The Court of Handball has decided that the result of the match SCM Ramnicu Valcea (ROU) vs Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) is 10:0 goals and 2:0 points. This means that Valcea remain in sixth and Dortmund in seventh, regardless of the result in this match.
16:58
Much like the first half, Dortmund are dictating the pace and continue to dominate the game. Isabell Roch and her defence are putting in the dirty work, while their attack appear to be scoring with ease, giving them a 24:17 lead at the 40-minute mark.
16:34 | HALF-TIME
Borussia 09 Dortmund 17:12 Odense Håndbold
Dortmund's recent burst of good form continues with a very impressive first half. Kelly Vollebregt is enjoying herself in attack with five goals in what has been a very well-rounded Borussia attack. The same cannot be said about Odense, with Lois Abbingh's five-goal performance the only one to make much of a mark in the opening 30 minutes.
16:21
Odense not looking at their brightest so far today as Dortmund are doing a fine job of disrupting their attack and taking their own chances when they come. They lead 14:8 at the 20-minute mark!
16:09
It's a bright start for Dortmund as they take a 6:3 lead, prompting the first timeout after just eight minutes.
It's a bit of a Dutch derby today with nine Borussia players coming from the Netherlands, facing two of the nation's top players in Lois Abbingh and Tess Wester for Odense.
15:46
We are on to our next and final game of the weekend in the DELO EHF Champions League and it's BV Borussia 09 Dortmund (GER) vs Odense Håndbold (DEN).
Now we do have a final placement in group B up for grabs here. Dortmund can move up to sixth, depending on what happens with the postponed Valcea vs Brest game, if they win the game. It throws off at 16:00 CET and you can watch it live on EHFTV.
- Dortmund, who are playing in their debut season in the competition, are ranked seventh in the group with seven points
- the German team claimed three points in their two most recent games: a win against Podravka (32:31) and a draw at Brest (33:33)
- Odense, who are certain to finish fourth in the group, lost two straight games, against Buducnost and Valcea
- in the reverse fixture, which was the first meeting between the two clubs in European competition, Odense celebrated a 32:27 home victory
15:28 | FULL-TIME
Team Esbjerg 37:29 SG BBM Bietigheim
Esbjerg make light work of their guests in the end, racking up 19 goals in the second half and running away with the two points.
It's a nice confidence boost for Jesper Jensen's side, who too often this season have let winning positions slip. They finish sixth in group A and can now look forward to a clash with Brest Bretagne Handball in the play-offs.
Bietigheim end the group phase with their 12th defeat of the campaign and now must prepare for the unenviable task of facing the only unbeaten side, Györ, in the play-offs, the dates for which are 6-7 March for the first leg and 13-14 March for the second.
15:22
Another impressive area of attack for Esbjerg today is on the line, where their trio have shared time on court and combined for 9 goals from 10 shots.
36:27 for the Danish side with a few minutes left on the clock.
15:11
Sonja Frey brings up the 30-goal mark for Esbjerg and an eight-goal lead with a trademark counter attack goal, taking the ball past the halfway line and flying through the Bietigheim defence. The Austrian playmaker now has six goals and Esbjerg well on their way to victory.
15:01
10 minutes of the second half completed and Esbjerg look fairly comfortable. Sonja Frey gives them a 25:19 lead, despite being two women short with suspensions, the kind of goals Bietigheim cannot afford to concede right now.
14:44
Below we see a great stop from Emily Stang Sando, though they have been few and far between. Only two recorded saves for her, while the Norwegian keeper at the other end, Rikke Granlund, is on a more impressive seven saves at 33% for Esbjerg.
14:37 | HALF-TIME
Team Esbjerg 18:14 SG BBM Bietigheim
It's remained a fairly close game since Esbjerg's early purple patch and an entertaining game overall. Both sides trying to push the pace, which has allowed for plenty of goals and nice phases of play, as well as a few too many mistakes, which largely sums up both side's seasons so far.
Mette Tranborg leads Esbjerg in front of goal with four scored so far, while Kim Naidzinavicius found the back of the net five times for the guests.
14:28
Bietigheim's big shooters Kim Naidzinavicius and Xenia Smits are getting more joy against Esbjerg's defence and are keeing their side in contention. 14:10 to the home side after 24 minutes.
14:17
Bietigheim are trying to keep pace with Esbjerg but more often than not end up playing right into their hands. We've hit the quarter-hour mark and Esbjerg lead 11:6.
14:09
A very open start to the match in Denmark. Frey and Pena running the show well in Esbjerg, pushing the tempo and creating plenty of easy goals for Esbjerg, who lead 8:4 after eight minutes.
13:58
All smiles in Esbjerg as we prepare for throw-off. The home side welcome Sonja Frey back into the team after missing MOTW in Bucharest last week and it is a rare occasion where they have a larger squad than their opposition with 13 compared to Bietigheim's 12.
13:44
At 14:00, we begin the day's action with Team Esbjerg (DEN) vs SG BBM Bietigheim (GER), live on EHFTV, two teams who know their final standing but would dearly like a win to end the group phase.
- Esbjerg have secured sixth place in the group and will meet Brest Bretagne in the Last 16, while Bietigheim will finish eighth and face Györ
- Bietigheim have won only two away matches in the DELO EHF Champions League, one of which came this season, 35:24, against FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria
- the Danish side need only six more goals to become the 27th team in history to reach the 1,000-goal mark in Europe's premier competition
- Esbjerg have won all three games played between the two sides in European Cup competitions
13:30
Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to our coverage of the final weekend in the DELO EHF Champions League Group Phase.
Most of the play-off spots are set in stone but there are still a pair of exciting games to look forward to this Valentine's day, so settle in for Esbjerg vs Bietigheim (throw-off 14:00 CET) and Dortmund vs Odense (16:00 CET).
20:00
Poll time! Now that the top two teams in both groups are confirmed, which side has impressed you most?
In group A, Rostov-Don just edged out Metz by a single point to top the group. The Russian club's draw with Krim was the key, with both teams having won the same number of matches.
In group B, it was Györ who took first place after tonight's win, again leading CSKA by one point after winning or drawing all their games. CSKA lost just twice in the group phase, by one goal to Odense in November, and today.
19:48
Stine Oftedal thoroughly earned her Player of the Match award, presented by DELO - watch this!
19:30 | FULL-TIME
Györi AUDI ETO KC 31:24 CSKA
Györ took total control in the second half of the match and left CSKA no chances of coming back. A good team performance, including seven goals from both Player of the Match Stine Oftedal and Viktória Lukács plus very solid goalkeeping from Amandine Leynaud and Silje Solberg, puts them top of group B.
CSKA finish their debut DELO EHF Champions League group phase second, an impressive achievement.
VIPERS KRISTIANSAND 37:30 RK KRIM MERCATOR
Vipers end their group phase with a sizeable win against Krim. Ragnhild Dahl and Matea Pletikosic both shone with 11 goals each, but a strong team performance by Vipers gave them the edge. It was a good result for the Norwegian team after their recent run of losses.
BUDUCNOST 33:26 HC PODRAVKA VEGETA
Buducnost will finish fifth in group B after beating Podravka in a solid performance, with eight goals by Jovanka Radicevic and a standout day in goal from Barbara Arenhart helping them to the victory.
19:18
We've now got a clip of Krim's historic 7,000th goal, a penalty scored by Matea Pletikosic.
19:15
Two suspensions at once proved costly for CSKA. Györ are showing why they are record champions, and have now taken a nine-goal lead at 27:18. They're enjoying themselves, and CSKA are struggling to get back into the game.
19:09
It was from about this point on that Györ started to look comfortable, and they now have a 22:17 lead.
19:05
Krim have broken through the 7,000 Champions League goals milestone, with their 19th goal in this match. However, Vipers now have a handy 29:23 lead and look to have broken their losing streak.
Buducnost are cruising, 24:17 up on Podravka.
19:00
CSKA have a timeout. Györ have pulled out to a four-goal lead with Estelle Nze Minko and Stine Oftedal being particularly impressive since the break, and the visitors need to act fast to stop the match running out of their hands.
18:51
Amandine Leynaud has had a pretty solid outing so far in the Match of the Week, saving seven shots from 20 in the first half. Here are her best bits.
18:43
An impressive shot from Vilde Jonassen for Vipers, as she shoots hard and fast from the wing.
18:40 | HALF-TIME
Györi AUDI ETO KC 14:13 CSKA
Györ regain the advantage as the first half ends, due to an Anita Görbicz penalty. Polina Vedekhina misses a direct free throw chance and CSKA go to the dressing room with a one-goal disadvantage. This match is as close as the round 1 draw between the two sides! Back in September, the score was 14:14 at the break.
BUDUCNOST 13:11 HC PODRAVKA VEGETA
Buducnost have led for most of the match and Barbara Arenhart has played superbly, with nine saves from 20 shots. That's helped hold Podravka off, and some of the Croatian club's best players, such as Lamprini Tsakalou, are yet to score.
VIPERS KRISTIANSAND 16:15 RK KRIM MERCATOR
It's an up-and-down match in Ljubljana (although Vipers are nominally the home team, Krim are hosting). Krim had a much better start before Vipers got into the game, and June Andenaes made sure they took a slight lead into the break.
18:30
Still nothing to split the teams in the Match of the Week! It's 12:12 as the first half draws to a close - after a period where both missed a few shots, accuracy has improved.
Here's Gorshenina's rocket that put CSKA ahead.
18:25
In the other matches, Buducnost lead Podravka 10:7, and Krim lead Vipers 12:11 in a very changeable game.
Barbara Arenhart delivered a great double save for Buducnost!
18:20
Now the hosts are on the back foot as Olga Gorshenina fires a pinpoint accurate shot to put CSKA ahead at 8:7 for the first time since the first goal.
18:17
CSKA have drawn level at 7:7 around halfway through the first half. Both sides have missed a few shots and both goalkeepers have saved four from 11. Dányi Gabor has called his first timeout in the wake of Yuliia Markova's equaliser.
18:10
Just under 10 minutes into the MOTW and Györ lead 4:3.
18:03
Elsewhere, Vipers conclude their packed week of games with their fourth in eight days, coming off three losses. The good news is that their star Nora Mørk is in the squad after an injury late in Wednesday's match - although she's not in the starting seven. They will finish fifth in the group, while Krim will finish seventh.
Meanwhile Buducnost are looking for a last win to make sure of a fifth-placed finish. Podravka can only finish last in the group.
17:55
With the Match of the Week just five minutes away, some facts before throw-off:
- the two sides drew 27:27 way back in round 1 in their first-ever meeting
- CSKA need a draw or a win to top the group while Györ must win the match
- Györ are riding a 50-game unbeaten streak in the Champions League, with no losses since January 2018
- however, CSKA have won more games this season - 11, to Györ's nine
- CSKA are still missing their talismanic captain Darya Dmitrieva after an injury
17:48
Tune into EHFTV now for the three matches to come at 18:00 CET:
17:40
You have 20 minutes to stretch, make a drink and warm up for the Match of the Week by reading this excellent interview with Györ goalkeeper Silje Solberg. Chris O'Reilly spoke to her about her hopes for the season and what it's like to be on a goalkeeping team with Amandine Leynaud and Laura Glauser.
17:33
Angela Malestein was impressive for FTC this afternoon. She scored eight goals from nine attempts, including three penalties, and here catches Viktoriia Kalinina on the hop.
17:29 | FULL-TIME
METZ HANDBALL 25:22 CSM BUCURESTI
CSM threatened to close up just towards the end of the match, but Metz had done enough earlier on to take the win. The results of these two matches mean the standings remain unchanged at the top of group A, with Metz second behind Rostov, and CSM third ahead of FTC.
17:26 | FULL-TIME
ROSTOV-DON 26:24 FTC-RAIL CARGO HUNGARIA
FTC fought until the end but Rostov seal top spot in group A after a tight win. They showed their strength in the second half, holding off repeated attacks from the Hungarian club.
17:22
Metz continue to hold a lead against CSM, varying between four and five goals for the last little while. With five minutes to go, a win for the hosts looks likely.
17:16
Rostov are gradually finding the edge against FTC and taking the advantage whenever they can. Iuliia Managarova's fast break just now put them up 22:19, the first three-goal lead. Emily Bölk's seventh goal brought it back to 22:20, but Rostov are currently on the front foot.
17:09
Kinga Janurik is excelling for FTC, and keeping them very much in the game with Rostov. It's now 21:19 to the home team, with about 13 minutes to go.
17:06
Two things are making the difference for Metz right now: greater depth in attack, and the performance of their goalkeepers. Although Marie Hélène Sajka has scored six goals, the same number as CSM's top scorer Cristina Neagu, another nine Metz players are on the scoreboard compared to only five other Bucharest players.
Meanwhile Hatadou Sako is tracking at a save efficiency of 40 per cent, and her fellow goalkeeper Dinah Eckerle has saved two from three shots. In contrast, Jelena Grubisic and Denisa Dedu are both on a save efficiency of around 27 per cent. It's 21:16 to Metz.
16:59
Well into the second halves, and Metz continue to lead Bucharest. They now have a 19:14 advantage.
FTC have just got themselves back level at 17:17; Rostov led by two goals a little while ago but the visitors continue to fight.
16:42
Here's a nice compilation of some of Grace Zaadi Deuna's best plays from the first half - as usual, she's integral in both assisting and scoring goals.
16:37 | HALF-TIME
METZ HANDBALL 16:12 CSM BUCURESTI
Metz have eased out to a 16:12 lead, with CSM missing a chance to make it 16:13 as Cristina Neagu misses a post-buzzer penalty shot. The French side found an extra gear in the last 10 minutes or so of the half.
16:35 | HALF-TIME
ROSTOV-DON 12:12 FTC-RAIL CARGO HUNGARIA
Nearly five minutes passed between FTC's 12th goal and Rostov's, as the two sides traded possession. FTC missed three shots and an opportunity to go into the dressing room ahead, but instead it's all level at the break in an exciting game.
16:33
Anna Sen breaks through the FTC defence. It needs power and determination to do this.
16:31
A 3:0 run has given Metz a 13:11 lead, the biggest margin of the game so far.
16:27
With her first goal of the match Grace Zaadi Deuna levels it in Rostov, at 11:11. The scoreline is identical in Metz and we have two very close matches going on!
16:22
The first highlight action of the day is, to underline the point made a few minutes ago, one of Hatadou Sako's early saves.
It's still level in Metz, and FTC lead Rostov 10:8.
16:17
So many times the goalkeepers can play a key role in the outcome of a match. Lately, Metz's Hatadou Sako has shone with one amazing performance after another, and she's making an early impact again today with five saves in the first nine minutes.
In the other match, FTC's Kinga Janurik is again the only goalkeeper available for the visitors, with Blanka Bíró still sidelined through injury. However, she played well against Vipers in both double-headers at the weekend.
16:07
About five minutes into both matches and the teams are settling into their games. FTC had a good start against Rostov, netting the first two goals, but it's now 2:3. In Metz, the score is 3:3.
Rostov have had a particularly busy week with three matches in eight days. They had a close loss to Krim last Saturday, and a close win against Vipers on Wednesday, so stamina might be key if this game is also tight.
15:55
Minutes now until throw-off!
A quick recap: in round 1, CSM beat Metz 31:26 in Bucharest, while Rostov beat FTC 26:26 in Erd.
15:45
Coverage of the first two matches has begun on EHFTV (although, depending on your location and if a local broadcaster is showing the game, this may be geoblocked). Remember you can use the split-screen viewer to watch both matches at the same time. Handy!
15:39
What do you do before a big match? Explore the local sights, if you're CSM visiting Metz!
15:30
Earlier today Face of the Champions League Hannah Jackson had a chat with Laura Glauser and Sara Ristovska about the big match between Györ and CSKA. Find out what they like for breakfast, what they're missing from their home countries, and of course what their expectations are for the Match of the Week later on today.
Click here to watch the whole chat.
15:20
Welcome to the final live blog for the DELO EHF Champions League group phase 2020/21! There are seven matches ahead this weekend, with the Match of the Week between Györ and CSKA headlining at 18:00 CET this evening.
First up, we have two tantalising clashes that will decide who finishes top of group A: Metz vs CSM, and Rostov vs FTC, both at 16:00 CET. If Rostov draw with or beat FTC they will finish first, but if they lose and Metz beat CSM, the French club will take top spot. Meanwhile CSM need a win to leapfrog Metz into second place.
Read the round preview below and stay tuned for plenty more news, analysis, video and pictures all weekend.
