Summary: Györ and Metz keep perfect record; FTC also unbeaten
18:13
Wrapping up the results from the round - we've had some close matches this weekend, with one draw and two one-goal wins. Meanwhile Vipers and Brest Bretagne both produced their biggest performances ever in the DELO EHF Champions League.
Non-stop, non-scripted drama - you can't never predict what's going to happen!
18:04
After round 4, Györ are the only team with a perfect record of four wins from four games. Metz have won three out of three and have a game in hand, and FTC are unbeaten after two wins and two draws. Every other team has lost at least once.
Buducnost and Kastamonu are bottom of groups A and B respectively, after suffering four straight defeats. Buducnost's goal difference of -33 is the largest in the competition.
17:45 | RESULTS
BV BORUSSIA DORTMUND 09 22:25 CSM BUCURESTI
A few mistakes by Dortmund right at the end, and everything goes CSM's way as Elizabeth Omoregie nets the winning goal for the visitors. Dortmund's unbeaten run comes to an end. Cristina Neagu top-scores with six goals; Yara ten Holte is the best goalkeeper, with an astonishing 17 saves from 41 shots.
BUDUCNOST BEMAX 19:25 ROSTOV-DON
Another day, another loss for Buducnost. Rostov join FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria with six points from four games at the top of group A, and have the superior goal advantage of +10.
ODENSE Håndbold 26:31 GYÖRI AUDI ETO KC
A match filled with goals, but more of them Györ's. Dione Housheer again shone for Odense, netting seven times, but against a solid team performance from the visitors it wasn't enough. Györ right back Ryu Eun Hee added another six goals to her season tally in what is turning out to be a brilliant Champions League debut.
KRIM MERCATOR LJUBLJANA 28:29 METZ HANDBALL
Heartbreak for Krim. The hosts played their best match of the season, leading for much of the game - but when Louise Burgaard scored for Metz with four seconds left that was it.
Oceane Sercien Ugolin collapsed at the end of the match and both teams promptly formed a circle around her while she was looked after.
17:25
Still nothing decided in Dortmund or Ljubljana. Andre Fuhre takes his last timeout as Dortmund fight to pull back CSM's two-goal lead. Uros Bregar has called a timeout too for Krim, with Metz just taking a 28:27 lead with three minutes to go.
17:16
If you're not watching the Dortmund vs CSM clash, make sure you tune into EHFTV now (oh and by the way, there's German commentary too).
CSM lead 21:19, but there's eight minutes left and a Dortmund crowd to cheer on the women in black and yellow.
17:08
Metz have pulled level with Krim now as Meline Nocandy comes into her own, with seven goals so far. It's 24:24.
Dortmund are fighting hard against CSM and the match is still largely level as the two sides exchange goals - Barbara Lazovic makes it 18:18.
17:02
A pause in Dortmund as Alina Grijseels goes down hard while shooting. After being attended to she gets up and walks off court for a rest. CSM still lead by a single goal.
16:55
And we're back underway in all four games.
Krim and Odense have their mascots on site to encourage their sides. We rather like the Odense fox's funky dungarees.
A five-goal lead gives Györ a good chance to claim a fourth straight victory. The visitors had the upper hand in the first half, capitalising on Odense's mistakes and scoring a number of goals from fast breaks. The home side fought hard, with Dione Housheer scoring four goals from as many attempts, yet it is hard to compete with the Hungarian heavyweights.
For 17 minutes, it looked like CSM were going to deliver a pitch-perfect defensive display, conceding only four goals. Yet Dortmund bounced back admirably. With Dutch shot stopper Yara ten Holte in fine form, the German champions still look like they could preserve their unbeaten status in the European top competition.
16:40 | HALF-TIME UPDATES
BV BORUSSIA DORTMUND 09 11:12 CSM BUCURESTI
DELO EHF Champions League top scorer Alina Grijseels has helped her team draw back an early four-goal deficit against CSM and the teams are level at the break. Yara ten Holte is impressive too in goal for the hosts.
BUDUCNOST BEMAX 10:14 ROSTOV-DON
Rostov did not let Buducnost extend that lead they had earlier, and it's not looking like that elusive win for the home team is going to come tonight. Four goals from both Iuliia Managarova and Grace Zaadi Deuna have helped Rostov move to a comfortable advantage.
ODENSE Håndbold 12:16 GYÖRI AUDI ETO KC
Györ had the better start; Odense fought back; Györ moved away again. However, a 3:0 run before the break makes their lead look stronger than much of the match has been so far. Nadine Schatzl is top scorer with five so far.
KRIM MERCATOR LJUBLJANA 17:15 METZ HANDBALL
Metz have recovered a bit of ground, but Krim will be pleased with the way they played that first half. Although Krim have won more head-to-head matches with the French club, Metz won both of last season's encounters.
16:30
Pop over to our social media accounts for clips from the matches - including a brilliant early save from Odense's Althea Reinhardt.
16:22
Metz are in trouble! Alison Pineau, who knows several of the Metz players well from the French national team, has led Krim to a 10:7 lead. Emmanuel Mayonnade calls a timeout to try and fix the problems before they worsen.
16:15
An impressive start from Buducnost keeps them level with Rostov for now. Krim also had a solid start and trail Metz by a single goal.
In the clashes to decide the group leaders, Dortmund are facing a CSM Bucuresti playing with energy, and it's 4:5. Odense, however, are already letting Györ slip away as the record champions take an 8:4 lead before a quarter of the match is done.
16:05
As the games get started, a few facts from our round preview:
- a win for Buducnost would be their 150th in the competition - Györ are the only team to have won more matches
- CSM are the tallest team in the competition, with an average height of 178 cm, while Dortmund are the shortest, at 172.6 cm
- Györ are the most efficient side in the tournament so far
- Odense have never beaten Györ. Last season they drew 32:32 in Denmark
- Krim hold an advantage in head-to-head encounters with Metz, winning nine of their 14 meetings, while the French team claimed victories in the five remaining games
15:50
With four matches at once the challenge is always to know which one to watch. Why not all at once! Remember you can choose up to four games in EHFTV so you can really keep an eye on every moment.
15:40
Next up we have four matches to conclude round 4, all throwing off in 20 minutes at 16:00 CEST.
In group A, BV Borussia Dortmund 09 take on CSM Bucuresti in a bid to keep their dream start to the season going. They topped the group after round 3, and another win would keep them there. EHF journalist Eric Willemsen spoke to Dortmund's Dutch goalkeeper Yara ten Holte about how things are going earlier this week - check out the interview.
Also in group A, Buducnost host Rostov-Don. The Montenegrin side desperately need a win after three losses so far.
Group B leaders Györ are in Denmark to play Odense; can they be the only side to win four matches out of four? Last, but not least, Krim host Metz - a win for the hosts would mean there would be five teams in the group with four points.
15:27
RESULT: CSKA 29:28 IK Sävehof
Karina Sabirova netted her sixth goal to give CSKA a three-goal lead with less than two minutes on the clock, and maybe CSKA thought that was enough. A moment's inattention, however, was dangerous as Sävehof scored twice in 30 seconds to bring it back to 29:28.
After a final timeout, CSKA slowed things down enough to keep possession. Although Sabirova's last shot hit the posts, Sävehof ran out of time and the hosts take a one-goal victory and their second win of the season.
15:20
CSKA cling on to the lead by their fingertips. They are still more accurate in attack and defence than their opponents, and it might be enough.
15:13
Update on those top-scoring stats: Jamina Roberts has now scored 31 goals in the current DELO EHF Champions League season, the first player to break through 30 successful shots. She's netted six of 10 attempts in this match.
15:10
A couple of goals by Mathilda Lundström and Sävehof level the match at 21:21, with just over 13 minutes left. Things are getting tense!
15:00
Everything slowed down a bit for several minutes, despite the CSKA cheerleaders and drummer in the stands trying to energise their team. Sävehof keep bringing it back to a one-goal game.
CSKA's also got a guitarist high up in the stands to entertain the fans!
14:50
The second half is underway - will CSKA be able to hold onto the lead and secure a win?
Both sides missed a lot of chances in the first half, asthe goalkeepers did a great job. In particular, CSKA's Polina Kaplina stopped 11 shots for a 50 per cent save efficiency, and she also managed to score a goal from her own half. Sävehof's Wilma Kroon also stood out with her nine saves, and while CSKA are enjoying a three-goal lead, it can still be anyone's game.
14:35
HALF-TIME UPDATE: CSKA 14:11 IK Sävehof
A flurry of goals just before the break and CSKA have a handy three-goal lead. Both teams have a low scoring percentage - because of their goalkeepers!
14:29
CSKA get their first two-goal lead just before 25 minutes courtesy of Ekaterina Ilina, their top scorer so far with three goals, and she brings it back to two goals again about a minute later.
14:18
A gorgeous, clever hip-shot by Sara Ristovska gives CKSA their first lead of the game at 7:6. It's a close match - Sävehof held a 4:2 lead briefly, before two goals inside a minute brought the home team level.
Polina Kaplina and Wilma Kroon Andersson between the posts are playing brilliantly, both with six saves in less than 20 minutes.
14:10
Jamina Roberts bangs in her first goal of the game and it's 3:2 to Sävehof. Roberts now needs just three more goals to top the top scorers list of the season - although you can bet that Alina Grijseels will add to her tally for Dortmund later.
Last season's top scorer, Ana Gros, switched teams to CSKA this year. She's scored 16 goals so far but is out injured at the moment.
14:00
Throw off is just moments away! Here are the squads - CSKA missing Polina Vedekhina after surgery on her heel last week.
13:50
Earlier this week the European Handball Federation announced it had extended its collaboration with charity Plan International. The partnership includes a campaign focusing on how misinformation and disinformation online affect the lives, learning and leadership of girls and young women, and coincides with the International Day of the Girl Child on 11 October.
All the courts this weekend will display the Plan International logo, and the partnership also sees interviews with players and ambassadors of both the DELO EHF Champions League and the EHF Champions League Men to promote the campaign and Plan International’s girls' petition calling on governments to educate children in digital literacy.
13:30
CSKA have posted an arrival gallery on their Facebook page - the players look focused and determined ahead of what ought to be a great game.
13:15
After a scintillating Match of the Week yesterday, plus two big wins for Brest Bretagne and Vipers, we're back in 45 minutes as CSKA meet IK Sävehof for the first time ever.
Both teams have won one match so far; having missed round 1, CSKA lost to Györ in round 3. Sävehof beat Krim in round 1, and went on to lose to Vipers and Odense.
Key to the match will be Sävehof left back Jamina Roberts, who has been impressive so far with 25 goals across the four matches. That puts her in second place in the goalscorer rankings behind Dortmund's Alina Grijseels, who we'll see later on against CSM Bucuresti.
Before that starts, why not head to EHFTV to see the highlights of yesterday's games?
I'm happy because it's never easy after an international break. We didn't have a lot of time to work. We played a great game, we were strong in defence, we were able to play fast and score a lot of goals on fast breaks, but we are still a team in search of stability with a lot of young players who lack collective experience.
We are very happy with the performance. We faced a good team, and we had to be at our best. We have seen Kastamonu in the three games so far, and they could have gotten points from all three with a bit of luck. I’m very pleased with how my girls responded to this difficult week they’ve been through, with both Covid cases and injuries.
I really like matches against Esbjerg — all of them are a tough tactical fight — and I really like how my colleague works with his team.
I eagerly await the next episode of this Esbjerg-Fradi series.
18:09
MOTW coaches Gabor Elek (FTC) and Jesper Jensen (Esbjerg) had nothing but praise for each other's teams following the exciting draw today.
"Thanks for being part of such a fantastic game in an amazing atmosphere. I like playing here," said Jensen in the press conference. "Against FTC I always feel that we are playing a chess game, so I am really proud of our team for collecting one point even though we had important missing left-handed players. We did 100 per cent of what we have, against a strong team, which has good players and a good trainer."
Elek agreed with Jensen that it is always a highly enjoyable tactical clash when their teams meet:
"I expected a match like this, because last year we experienced against Esbjerg how strong a team can be even with missing players — like now Esbjerg became strong and collected. I really like matches against Esbjerg — all of them are a tough tactical fight — and I really like how my colleague works with his team.
"We were not sharp enough, and should have shown a better defence to win this game, but five minutes before the end I would be actually really glad with this draw. I eagerly await the next episode of this Esbjerg-Fradi series."
18:05
The two last matches on this DELO EHF Champions League Saturday are now underway in Kristiansand and Brest!
In France, Brest are off to an early lead over Podravka, 3:1 after the opening five minutes. In Norway, it's all square after five minutes, at 3:3.
Catch both matches live on EHFTV.
17:52
Time for a closer look at our other upcoming clash, Vipers vs Kastamonu.
The defending champions Vipers have lost two of their three matches so far — both away from home, at Györ and Metz. The Norwegian side claimed their only win in round 2 in the home match against Sävehof.
Champions League debutants Kastamonu, who sit bottom of the group, are yet to claim their maiden points in the continental top flight. So far they have been defeated by Odense, CSKA and Krim.
It will be the first meeting of the two sides in European club competitions.
Loke the super mum
Fun fact: Vipers’ veteran Heidi Loke announced she is pregnant last week. The 38-year-old is planning to resume her career after giving birth to her third child. Loke was already part of the exclusive This is me series, and focused on exactly this topic, which has garnered so much attention throughout her career:
"This also helped me to be a good mum…I love to train and I love to play handball and it gives me extra energy for the kids.
"I think it’s very important to speak about this. This is my experience, and I know all pregnancies are very different."
Read Loke's story here.
17:46
After her stellar performance for FTC today, Angela Malestein received the DELO Player of the Match award.
Her 10 goals see Malestein jump from a season total of 17 to 27, where she is currently second behind Dortmund's Alina Grijseels — although all players outside FTC and Esbjerg have a game in hand.
Another high-scoring Dutchie will be on court no doubt increasing her season tally tomorrow: Odense's Dione Housheer, playing her first season in the Champions League yet having entered round 4 as the third top scorer. Housheer has netted 23 goals so far and has marked herself quite the rookie to watch.
17:40
Don't go anywhere! We still have two exciting matches coming up on this Saturday of DELO EHF Champions League.
Let's start looking ahead to the next games with a deeper dive on Brest vs Podravka.
After two consecutive losses, against FTC and CSM Bucuresti, Podravka dropped to seventh place in the standings but are equal on points with Brest in sixth (both two points). The Croatian team had started their season with a win versus regional rivals Buducnost.
Brest have posted their least successful start in the DELO EHF Champions League since the 2017/18 season, when they lost all six games in the group phase. Nevertheless, the French side are on a 37-game unbeaten streak — with 34 wins and three draws — in all competitions on their home court, with the last loss coming against Nice in the French League in May 2019.
And be sure to keep an eye out for this special moment: The 21st goal scored by Brest will be their 1,500th in the premium European competition. The French side will become the 22nd team in history to reach this milestone.
