FTC mount MOTW comeback, Buducnost steal point from Esbjerg

On the other hand, Györi Audi ETO KC kept their flawless streak intact and cruised to a 32:25 win with no sweat against Storhamar, remaining the only undefeated team in the whole competition.

• Odense celebrated their sixth win against Krim (30:21) and made it their biggest yet against the Slovenian side in six matches played, fuelled by spirited team play
• FTC grabbed only their second win against Brest at home with a spectacular second-half comeback in the MOTW; Player of the Match Petra Simon scored seven goals to end Brest's perfect run
• Buducnost surprised Esbjerg as they claimed their first point of the season, 34:34 in buzzer time; Jelena Vukcevic and Ivana Godec combined for 19 goals, while Women's 17 EHF EURO 2025 MVP Martina Knezevic made her Champions League debut and scored once
• Gloria Bistrita are now on a four-game winning streak and extended Dortmund's losing run with a 36:32 victory ;Sonia Seraficeanu netted 10 to keep Bistrita among the top three teams in the group
• Györ remained perfect in Norway, with 11 of their 12 outfield players scoring at least once in a convincing win over Storhamar

GROUP A

STORHAMAR HANDBALL ELITE (NOR) VS GYÖRI AUDI ETO KC (HUN) 25:32 (10:18)

H2H: 0-0-4
Top scorers: Sanne Løkka Hagen 5/5 (Storhamar Handball Elite); Emilie Hovden 5/5 (Györi Audi ETO KC)

Title-holders Györ cruised to yet another convincing win against Storhamar, after last week's 40:23 victory in Hungary. Storhamar put up a strong fight against the reigning champions in the opening half, never trailing by more than three in the first 20 minutes as they challenged the Hungarian powerhouses. June Krogh came up with several crucial saves to keep the hosts in the game, but Zsófi Szemerey responded on the other end, denying Storhamar's hopes of a tighter game. Her saves fuelled Györ's run, propelling a series of goal runs that already shaped the outcome after the opening 30 minutes. Not much changed in the second half, as Györ maintained their pace and held a double-digit lead. In the end, it was Anniken Obaidli who ensured Storhamar reduced the final margin to seven.

OTP GROUP BUDUCNOST (MNE) VS TEAM ESBJERG 34:34 (16:20)

H2H: 0-1-7

Top scorers: Jelena Vukcevic 10/14, Ivana Godec 9/13 (both OTP Group Buducnost); Henny Reistad 9/12 (Team Esbjerg)

Buducnost snatched their first point of the season with an almost-at-the-buzzer equaliser, capping off a wild finish that left Esbjerg stunned after last round's 12-goal win. Buducnost had a late awakening after Esbjerg built an early lead through fast transition and counter-attacks. With Jelena Vukcevic pulling the strings, the Montenegrin side managed to close the gap to 5:6, while Armelle Attingré, on 35 per cent save efficiency, kept them in reach. No matter the experience and their push, Esbjerg could not power ahead, despite different approaches during the game and had Buducnost right behind them up until the last moment of the game. Henny Reistad pulled ahead with nine goals, but Ivana Godec joined Vukcevic and created a really interesting ending to the game. With three minutes left, Vukcevic struck again to level at 33:33, shifting all the pressure to Esbjerg. Anna Kristensen answered with two crucial saves that seemed to seal the win, until a costly mistake in the final attack cracked the door open. Buducnost seized the moment, and Itana Grbic scored the equaliser to complete the upset and secure a dramatic draw.

BV BORUSSIA DORTMUND (GER) VS GLORIA BISTRIA (ROU) 32:36 (16:19)

H2H: 0-0-2
Top scorers: Sonia Seraficeanu 10/11 (Gloria Bistrita); Déborah Lassource 9/9 (BV Borussia Dortmund)

Gloria Bistrita claimed their sixth win of the season as they conquered Dortmund with the exact same result as the week before in Romania. The Romanian side had a strong start, once again backed by the in-form goalkeeper Renata de Arruda, who helped her team open up an early four-goal lead. That cushion proved instrumental for BVB who created clearer chances, but still could not erase the early deficit before halftime. BVB tried to use their home court as best as possible and Sarah Wachter coming between the posts gave an additional impulse, narrowing down to 22:24 in the 40th minute. However, they did not have a proper response in the defence to Sonia Seraficeanu’s top performance as she led the charge with 10 goals, creating a significant six-goal edge for the visitors.

GROUP B

MOTW: FTC Rail-Cargo Hungaria (HUN) vs Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) 29:28 (12:18)

H2H: 3-0-5
Top scorers: Petra Simona 7/9 (FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria); Clarisse Mairot 7/8 (Brest Bretagne Handball)

FTC did the almost impossible — an incredible comeback to end Brest's perfect run. Brest spurred an early surge in the MOTW; with Floriane André making save after save, the French side jumped to a 5:1 lead. FTC went scoreless for five minutes and only netted their second goal in the ninth minute. They managed to find new momentum midway through the half and narrowed the gap to two, but then lost their grip again in the closing stages. Unlucky misses and a porous 6–0 defence left them vulnerable, as Brest easily found their line players and rebuilt a six-goal advantage.

Brest stretched the gap to nine, but FTC, boosted by their fans, delivered a completely different performance in the second half. They easily found ways around Brest's defence, Kinga Janurik made crucial saves and the spotlight fell on Petra Simon, who scored five times and narrowed the gap to 21:23. Brest, scored only five times between the 38th and 49th minutes, while FTC kept pouncing and levelled at 26:26 with less than 10 minutes to go. The visitors tried to make a difference with an extra attacking player, but the tactic failed. FTC completed a remarkable turnaround from 27:28 to a 29:27 win with Angela Malestein and Katrin Klujber delivering the final blows.

Odense Håndbold (DEN) vs Krim Otp Group Mercator (SLO) 30:21 (11:8)

H2H: 6-0-0
Top scorers: Ingvild Bakkerud 5/5, Andrea Aagot 5/5 (both Odense Håndbold); Tamara Horacek 6/6 (Krim OTP Group Mercator)

The Danish side continued where they left off in the last round and grabbed an even bigger win against Krim. The first half turned into a pure goalkeeper show, with Yara ten Holte and Maja Vojnovic holding their lines and both denying over 50 per cent of the shots. They were particularly sharp in the opening minutes, keeping the score at 2:2 after seven minutes. Odense were the first to make a move, producing a six-goal run, but Krim did not give up and answered with four consecutive goals of their own. Still, Krim's mistakes in the closing moments allowed Odense to breathe again at halftime. A poor opening to the second half, filled with attacking mistakes, set back Krim's progress, while Odense made a five-goal run and left no chance for a comeback. Odense kept their pace high and pushed the score to 30:18, and Krim’s last surge managed to narrow the gap by the buzzer.

Main photo © Nikolett Nasz