Esbjerg and Odense celebrate home wins; Metz hit 40-goal mark in MOTW

• Katarina Pandža's 11 goals were not enough for Podravka to surprise hosts Odense, who strolled to their first Champions League win since the 2025/26 play-offs against DVSC Schaeffler in March 2026, ending a four-game winless streak

• Nora Mørk and Henny Reistad netted seven goals each in Esbjerg's win against Sola, while Camilla Herrem led the Norwegian side with eight in their first European encounter ever

• Metz remain an unsolvable puzzle for Bistrita, claiming their fifth win against the Romanian side after overcoming a slow start to dominate the clash

• the Player of the Match award went to Metz' goalkeeper Sabrina Novotná after an incredible performance between the posts with 17 saves, to which she also added one goal

• ahead of the Metz against Bistrita game, three EHF Excellence Awards trophies were handed over to left wing Chloé Valentini, right wing Lucie Granier and best young player Lylou Borg

GROUP A

Team Esbjerg (DEN) vs Sola Håndballklubb (NOR) 28:25 (16:12)

H2H: 1-0-0

Top scorers: Nora Mørk 7/11, Henny Reistad 7/10 (Team Esbjerg); Camilla Herrem 8/10 (Sola Håndballklubb)

Esbjerg continued their good run in the Champions League, claiming their second win of the season in their first European encounter against Sola. The home side imposed their rhythm early on and by the 16th minute were up by five (9:4). Their experience was never in question, desplaying a solid defence backed by the well-established attacking duo of Henny Reistad and Live Rushfeldt Deila. The Norwegian pair kept Sola's defence busy and helped Esbjerg stay firmly in control of the game.

Sola had a blistering start to the second half, narrowing the gap to just one through Camilla Herrem and Anngunn Gudmestad. Sola had the door open for a comeback twice in the second half — the first time, Esbjerg quickly restored their five-goal lead, but Sola made another push in the final minutes. At 27:25, they had two chances in a row to close the gap even further or even level the game, but Katharina Filter's on-time saves secured Esbjerg's home win and left Sola with two defeats in this EHF Champions League season.

GROUP B

Odense Håndbold (DEN) vs HC Podravka (CRO) 31:24 (16:10)

H2H: 4-1-0

Top scorers: Ingvild Bakkerud 8/10 (Odense Håndbold); Katarina Pandža 11/14 (HC Podravka)

Podravka's 200th match in the EHF Champions League did not go the way they had planned. The Croatian side had a promising start to the game, keeping it level with Odense for almost 20 minutes. They even held the lead early on, but hasty attacks and poorly executed play without a goalkeeper proved costly. They went nine minutes without scoring, during which Odense netted some easy goals to produce a 7:0 run and take a comfortable lead into half-time.

Anica Gudelj provided a push for Podravka in the second half as they narrowed the gap to three, but finding a way through Odense's tough defence proved to be Podravka's biggest challenge, despite the chances they had and occasional glimpses of a comeback. Ingvild Bakkerud was key in keeping Podravka at bay whenever they threatened to come closer, leading Odense's attack with eight goals.

MOTW: Metz Handball (FRA) vs Gloria Bistrita (ROU) 40:26 (17:11)

H2H: 5-0-0

Top scorers: Kristina Jörgensen 8/9 (Metz Handball); Helena Simão Paulo 6/6 (Gloria Bistrita)

Player of the Match: Sabrina Novotná (Metz Handball)

Judging by the start of the game, it looked like Metz were having trouble finding their rhythm as Bistrita opened with a 4:2 lead. But when Metz found their footing, everything changed. A combination of Sabrina Novotná's saves and quick goals saw the home team produce a 7:0 run, leaving Bistrita without answers. Only Nina Engel was up to the task, scoring three of Bistrita's first four goals. The Romanian side woke up late in the first half and fought their way back into the game, but several mistakes still left them facing a six-goal gap heading into the break.

Building on Novotná's saves and making good use of their rotation, Metz were pulling the strings, taking their first double-digit lead in the 50th minute (33:23) and all but assuring victory in the Match of the Week. By the end of the game, Metz had reached the 40-goal mark, becoming the second team to do so this season after FTC-Toyota Kovács on Saturday.

Main photo © Team Esbjerg/Niels Husted