Ludwigsburg go through despite MOTW loss; Odense join them

• right back Ana Gros scored 10 goals for Krim, but the Slovenian side failed to erase the 10-goal deficit against Ludwigsburg from the first leg, taking a 26:23 win, being eliminated from the competition
• Ludwigsburg progressed to the quarter-finals for the second time in history, and the second season in a row, meeting Györi Audi ETO KC, the second place in Group A, in the next phase, a rematch of last year’s final
• in her last match in the EHF Champions League Women, right wing Jovanka Radicevic, the second-best scorer in the history of the competition, scored one goal, taking her overall tally to 1181 goals
• with their 11th win of the season, tying their record number of wins in a single season, 25:21 against Storhamar, Odense made it to the quarter-finals for the third consecutive time and for the fourth time in history
• the Danish side recorded the largest aggregate win in the play-offs this season and the largest since the 2021/22 season, when Metz beat Dortmund by 21 goals
• Odense will now meet FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria in the quarter-finals, in their bid for a maiden appearance in the EHF FINAL4

MOTW: Krim Mercator Ljubljana (SLO) vs HB Ludwigsburg (GER) 26:23 (10:11)

HB Ludwigsburg win 54:47 on aggregate

With a 10-goal lead from the first leg, Ludwigsburg could play it cautious in the second match against Krim Mercator Ljubljana, which needed a miracle in the Match of the Week to return for the quarter-finals after a three-year drought. However, the German side took an early lead, had a slight advantage at the break, 11:10, and did not tremble even when Krim boasted a five-goal lead with seven minutes to go. Right back Ana Gros did her utmost to help the Slovenian side mount a comeback, scoring 10 goals, but it was too little, too late, after the disappointing display in the first leg. On the other hand, Ludwigsburg made it to the quarter-finals for the second time in a row, taking advantage of yet another fantastic match from goalkeeper Johanna Bundsen, who saved 15 shots for a 38.4 saving efficiency, as the Swedish shot stopper is the first player in the competition to break the 200-save milestone, having 203 saves in 16 matches this season, 61 more than any other player in the competition.

Odense Håndbold (DEN) vs Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR) 25:21 (16:11)

Odense Håndbold win 58:41 on aggregate

Sheltered by a 13-goal win in the first leg, Odense did not enjoy the best of starts against Storhamar and were down 4:1 after only six minutes. But with Storhamar only winning two away matches in their history in the EHF Champions League Women, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the Norwegian side. As all but one outfield player scored at least one goal for Odense, the Danish side quickly bounced back with a 4:0 run and had a comfortable five-goal lead, 16:11, at the break. Odense, which had Maren Aardahl and Helene Gigstad Fauske combine for 10 goals, did not stop until the end, registering the largest aggregate win in the play-offs and will gear up for the doubleheader against FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria in the quarter-finals.