Podravka and Storhamar celebrate first wins; Darleux steers Metz to victory

• Podravka Vegeta ended their 17-game losing streak in the EHF Champions League Women; the last time they won was on 11 September 2021 when they beat Buducnost 29:22
• Matea Pletikosic (eight goals), Katarina Pandža (seven goals) and Lucija Bešen (12 saves) were instrumental in Podravka's big day
• Mathilde Rivas-Toft, Kristin Venn and Anniken Obaidli scored seven each, or 63 per cent of all Storhamar goals, and helped their side celebrate the first win of the season; the second Obaidli sister, Mona, netted three for Nykøbing Falster Håndbold
• Cléopatre Darleux's comeback to Europe's top-flight after seven months came with a bang — 22 saves at 55 per cent efficiency earned her the Player of the Match award in Metz's important win against FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria
• CSM Bucuresti earned a crucial away win with Gabriela Moreschi's 17 saves and Elizabeth Omoregie's eight goals
• with FTC's and Krim Mercator's defeats, Metz Handball remains the only unbeaten team in group A

GROUP A

CS Gloria 2018 BN (ROU) vs Podravka Vegeta (CRO) 25:29 (7:13)

Podravka Vegeta ended their 17-game losing streak in the top-tier competition with a convincing win against Gloria. The hosts struggled to find their footing after a rocky start, while Podravka's Lucija Bešen, with 50 per cent of saves at half-time, further added to their problems as she boosted her side to a six-goal lead. Converting only 17 per cent of the shots told the story of their struggles. Gloria found a new energy late in the second half and kept pouncing but could not shift the momentum. With the help of Asuka Fujita and goalkeeper Ivana Kapitanovic, they only managed to soothe the defeat and narrow the gap to four, after trailing by 13 in the 40th minute of the game.

Nykøbing Falster Håndboldklub (DEN) vs Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR) 28:33 (17:16)

Storhamar Handball Elite also celebrated their first win after a strong second half. Nykøbing did not use Sofie Börjesson's good performance between the posts in the first 30 minutes to gain a more significant advantage. Even though they were in the lead from the start, a series of late technical errors let Storhamar keep the contest close as Mathilde Rivas-Toft scored effortlessly. Storhamar's blistering start to the second half changed the outcome as Eli Marie Raasok lived up to her billing, allowing Kristin Venn and Anniken Obaidli to not only stage a comeback, but to set a four-goal lead which proved to be pivotal.

MOTW: Metz Handball (FRA) vs FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) 24:19 (11:11)

Metz Handball ended FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria's perfect streak. FTC had a dream start against Metz, racing to a 6:1 lead. However, the spotlight soon shifted to Cléopatre Darleux, who made an impressive return to the EHF Champions League Women. With four consecutive saves, Darleux swung the momentum in Metz's favour, allowing them to claw their way back and level the score and additionally secure a win later on. FTC encountered some problems and allowed Metz to impose their pace with fast breaks, but the fellow French goalkeeper on the other side, Laura Glauser, denied Metz's attempt to take over. It all changed in the second half when Metz had the upper hand. With a 3:0 goal run, they took over the lead and never looked back, despite all of FTC's attempts to shift the momentum.

Krim Mercator Ljubljana (SLO) vs CSM Bucuresti (ROU) 29:31 (15:19)

Both teams had solid defences in the start, but CSM soon propelled to a four-goal lead as Krim's attack came to a halt. It was only Ana Gros who was Krim's lynchpin in those moments, netting seven out of seven attempts in the first half. CSM played the ball long and kept their lead as Elizabeth Omoregie, Emilie Hegh Arntzen and Cristina Neagu were pulling the strings. Krim came close to a comeback as Jovanka Radicevic joined Ana Gros and made CSM sweat at 27:28, but another great game by the goalkeepers in round 5 decided the game. Gabriela Moreschi denied 17 of Krim's attempts, some in crucial moments. Cristina Neagu kept her all-time top goal scorer title with an additional five goals and a 1,160 tally; Jovanka Radicevic netted six and set her tally to 1,152 goals.

Main photo © Nykøbing Falster Håndbold - NFH