FTC and Krim remain unbeaten, Vipers celebrate first win

• FTC kept their unbeaten streak and stay top of group A
• centre back Andrea Lekic netted seven, bringing her overall tally to 1,043 goals scored in the EHF Champions League Women
• Vipers’ victory ends what could possibly be their worst start to the competition in the last seven seasons
• the Pandža sisters, Ana and Katarina, scored half of Podravka's goals (15) in an impressive showing but could not surprise Metz who extended their winning streak to three games
• Krim snatched their fourth consecutive win by rising in the last moments with solid defence as Alja Varagic and Tjaša Stanko netted the final two goals

GROUP A
FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) vs CS Gloria 2018 BN (ROU) 32:28 (18:10)

After an equal start to the game, a 4:0 goal run in the middle of the first half produced a secure lead for the home team. Gloria's shortcomings in defence left their goalkeepers powerless while FTC were deadly from all positions and took an 18:10 lead at half-time. However, the Romanian side decided not to leave the fans who travelled to Hungary disappointed and had a blistering restart, cutting the gap to three with the help of Renata de Arruda between the posts. They made FTC sweat until the final whistle, but the Hungarian side earned a hard-fought two points as Andrea Lekic and Daria Dmitrieva closed the game with seven and six goals respectively.

Krim Mercator Ljubljana (SLO) vs Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR) 25:23 (11:12)

Despite Krim's good start to the game, Anniken Obaidli lifted her team past their opponents and helped them take a 6:5 lead. With good defensive performances from both sides, neither team managed to get their hands on a more significant advantage. Every goal was met with a quick response, creating a back-and-forth battle in Ljubljana. However, mistakes played a crucial role at key moments. Krim came back from being down by one to stop Storhamar's in-flight goal effort and profited from their visitors playing without a goalkeeper to win by two goals, 25:23. It was a good day for players called Tamara, as Tamara Horacek and Tamara Mavsar led Krim's attack with seven and five goals respectively.

Metz Handball (FRA) vs HC Podravka Vegeta (CRO) 35:31 (18:18)

The Croatian side once again showed their strength and kept up with Metz in a high-scoring match. Even though they were not able to stop Chloé Valentini in the first half, Podravka bounced back from the three-goal disadvantage on three occasions and tied the output at half-time as Ana Pandza, who ended the game with 10 goals, led the attack. The same pattern continued in the second half as the Podravka defence and goalkeeper Lucija Bešen repeatedly halted Metz's attacks and allowed them to keep the game tight. Their inexperience cost them in the last 15 minutes as they failed to penetrate their opponent's defence and made forced errors, leading to Metz's win. Valentini remained on top, netting 11 times, and Sarah Bouktit scored eight. Klara Birtic managed to score four against her former teammates.

GROUP B
Vipers Kristiansand (NOR) vs Odense Håndbold (DEN) 26:24 (12:11)

The goalkeepers on both sides shone throughout the Scandinavian duel and kept the contest close and exciting. In the first 30 minutes, Silje Solberg-Oesthassel mustered 12 saves at a 52 per cent save efficiency, while Althea Reinhardt responded with eight saves at 40 per cent and helped her team bounce back after Vipers' 4:0 start. It was mostly Thale Rushfeldt Deila carrying Odense, netting six goals in total, but the visitors did not lead until the 49th minute. Mie Højlund stepped up for Odense in crunch time, scoring four times in six minutes, to extend the gap to 24:21, but Silje Solberg once again showed her impressive skills to stop Odense from scoring again and allow Vipers’ 4:0 run to secure them victory. Solberg-Oesthassel finished the match with 21 saves (46 per cent).

Photos © Fradi Média, Hans Lie, Metz Handball, Uros Hocevar/kolektiff