
Odense claim hard-fought win at FTC; Brest cruise past Krim
The EHF Champions League Women 2025/26 got underway with four matches on Saturday, three of which took place in group B. Runners-up of the last season, Odense Håndbold, became the only team to win away from home, beating FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria in a close battle (34:32). HC Podravka defeated debutants Sola HK at home, while Brest Bretagne Handball were dominant against Krim OTP Group Mercator.
There weren’t many things that decided the match today. We came back two times, so it's sad that we couldn’t turn the match around fully. But this was only the first match and the season is long, hopefully we can get our first win next week.
It was a tough match, a tough away game, but we’re happy that we could keep calm and take the win away. We were leading throughout the game, they came in and it was a draw, but we were able to win at the end. I think it’s really good teamwork and we’re happy. We always want to win and didn’t want to let them have a chance, so it absolutely worked.
This is our first match in the Champions League. We met a better team that had more power. They managed to create an advantage and maintain it throughout the match. It was a good learning moment for us, but I hope that we will be closer to tie the result next time. I hope we progress throughout the season, maybe when we play three or four matches at this level.
First of all, I want to congratulate the team on the victory. We played well in defence and that is the guiding thread of how we will play. Because of the good defence, the offence was more focused. Maybe in the first half we made some mistakes that we shouldn't have made, but it's all a lesson. We have to continue like this and we need to be there for each other.
Satisfied with the result, we were consistent from start to finish. Defensively, it was solid. At the very highest level, it’s all about being able to repeat this kind of performance. You can really feel that everyone is involved, and it’s working quite well. We’re going to need everyone this season.
It was a very difficult game for us tonight, and of course it doesn’t feel good afterwards. We came up against a very strong team. Brest showed that they are one of the top teams in our group and in the Champions League, especially with their experience.













