SUMMARY: Esbjerg close action with MOTW win vs Metz
In round 5 of the EHF Champions League Women group phase 2022/23, Danish sides Team Esbjerg and Odense Håndbold bounced back from defeats in the previous round to beat French opponents.
Esbjerg snapped Metz's five-game unbeaten run in the competition, while Odense defeated Brest Bretagne in the Brest Arena.
We just could not stand the pressure that Team Esbjerg showed. They were physically very strong in the defence, and we missed too many shots against Rikke Poulsen at the beginning of the match.
These are the kind of matches we are training for. Today, we hit a good level of play and wanted to do better after the loss to Rapid Bucuresti. And today we had the right attitude from the beginning of the match"
18:15
We have some post-match reaction after Györ's win in Norway against Storhamar.
"I think Storhamar came with really good speed in the first half. We struggled a little with the scoring in periods – and in defence. In the second half, we managed to get better without stressing. We had better speed, and then it is easy to get some simple goals, said Györ goalkeeper Silje Solberg.
18:05
Here is the full overview of the results from round 5 of the EHF Champions League Women group phase 2022/23. One of the more obvious news stories from this weekend's action is that the Danish sides – Esbjerg and Odense – recorded their victories over French opponents.
18:02
After scoring nine times, Kristine Breistøl finished as the top scorer in Match of the Week. The Norwegian left back provided us with some of her typical powerful shots from the nine-metre region, but she also played in setting up her teammates. Breistøl had five assists, one more than Henny Ella Reistad, and she scored all of her goals from open play.
17:50
OTHER FULL-TIME SCORES:
CSM Bucuresti 40:25 DHK Banik Most
Storhamar Handball Elite 21:35 Györi Audi ETO KC
With Györ dominating the second half against Storhamar to record a 14-goal win, the Hungarian side are now at the top of group B. Esbjerg have closed the gap on Metz, who they beat in Match of the Week, while CS Rapid Bucuresti occupy second spot in group B. Rapid are the last team in the group with an unbeaten record – though they have dropped points in two games.
It should be noted that this graphic doesn't display that Györ have won four games from five played in the competition this season.
17:37
FULL-TIME: Team Esbjerg 35:28 Metz Handball
Esbjerg seal a dominant seven-goal victory on their home court against Metz in Match of the Week. Henny Ella Reistad, who finished the match with eight goals, one behind top scorer Kristine Breistøl, collects the award as the Player of the Match.
17:22
As Esbjerg lead 31:24 with seven minutes remaining, Rikke Poulsen's save percentage remains narrowly above 40 per cent as she has made 15 saves from 37 shots faced.
17:05
Rikke Poulsen's strong performance for Esbjerg continues. But if you want a taste of why Storhamar were within touching distance of Györ, Eli Marie Raasok's heroics may go some of the way to explaining the score.
17:00
Kristina Jörgensen finishes an in-flight move for Metz to reduce the deficit to three goals, 20:17, after 37 minutes.
16:57
It appears that CSM Bucuresti's 25 goals in the first half against Banik Most is a record for the most goals scored in the first half of a match in the EHF Champions League Women.
16:49
HALF-TIME SCORES: CSM Bucuresti 25:13 DHK Banik Most
Storhamar Handball Elite 13:15 Györi Audi ETO KC
There is a huge contrast between how Banik Most and Storhamar will feel at half-time. Banik Most have conceded 25 goals in the first half against CSM Bucuresti, which must be close to a record, while Storhamar are only two goals behind Györ.
16:45
HALF-TIME UPDATE: Team Esbjerg 18:12 Metz Handball
After 30 minutes played in Match of the Week, Esbjerg have raced to a six-goal lead against Metz. While Marit Røsberg Jacobsen leads the scorers for the Danish side, their back court axis of Kristine Breistøl, Henny Ella Reistad and Mette Tranborg deserve a lot of credit for ensuring that they made a good start. With Rikke Poulsen in top form at the other end of the court for Esbjerg, Metz have a huge task ahead of them in the second half if they are to turn this match around.
16:36
Tamara Horacek possibly needed some luck with this attempt, but she is responsible for four of Metz's 10 goals in the first half. The daunting problem for the visitors is that Esbjerg have extended their lead to 17:10 with half-time approaching.
16:33
Some joy for Metz as Camille Depuiset makes two penalty saves from two attempts. Marit Røsberg Jacobsen was the first Esbjerg player to have her attempt from the seven-metre line stopped by Depuiset – and Henny Ella Reistad suffered the same fate two minutes later.
16:20
When Rikke Poulsen said before the match that this would be a game with a lot of pace, she was right. To give an indication of the tempo, Esbjerg have had 15 shots in just under 16 minutes. Crucially, they have scored 12 goals from their 15 shots, but the intent to play quickly is creating good opportunities for the hosts.
16:13
After making six saves from nine shots faced, Esbjerg goalkeeper Rikke Poulsen can be satisfied with her start. Of course, there is a long way to go!
16:11
Esbjerg's back court trio of Kristine Breistøl, Henny Ella Reistad and Mette Tranborg are causing huge problems for Metz's defence. After eight minutes of the Match of the Week, the Danish side lead 6:2.
15:59
Don't forget that individual links for the three 16:00 CEST matches are available below if you can watch these games in your location.
Watch: Storhamar Handball Elite vs Győri Audi ETO KC
In the first half we struggled a little bit. Krim prepared well. It was a really hard game. I am satisfied with our match today.
15:48
15:43
Goalkeeper Melina Szikora had another good afternoon for Bietigheim, making 12 saves from 34 shots faced to finish with a 35 per cent save efficiency. Her energy and commitment in goal have some value beyond the pure numbers – as you will understand from watching this save.
15:35
FULL-TIME: SG BBM Bietigheim 30:23 Krim Mercator Ljubljana
Bietigheim complete a seven-goal win over Krim in Germany to extend their lead at the top of group A. Of course, with CSM Bucuresti set to play at 16:00 CEST, the German side's two-point gap over their nearest group rivals may only be temporary.
Overall, Bietigheim can be satisfied with their work this afternoon. Despite what we said about their attack firing on all cylinders in the second half, they scored 15 goals in each half.
15:26
Melinda Szikora stands tall and stops Jovanka Radicevic's penalty with her foot. If the outcome wasn't certain before that moment, it is now. Bietigheim are set to claim the two points that will ensure they remain top of group A at the end of round 5.
15:22
Unsurprisingly, four of the top five scorers in the match have been Bietigheim players. With a five-goal lead (26:21) with just over five minutes remaining, this match should be in safe keeping for the hosts.
15:14
Bietigheim's attack is firing on all cylinders in the second half, particularly via fast breaks, but the German side showcased their quality in the first period as well.
15:06
Bietigheim's fast breaks are rolling now – and the German side have extended their lead to 22:15 after 42 minutes. This looks a decisive break in determining the outcome of the match.
14:56
Markus Gaugisch is on his feet to applaud Julia Maidhof putting away another penalty for Bietigheim. Who won the penalty that Maidhof converted? Kaba Gassama Cissokho! Bietigheim lead 17:14 after 34 minutes.
14:48
All three of Julia Maidhof's goals in the first half came from the seven-metre line, which is perhaps unsurprising when Bietigheim are utilising the line player so much in their attack. The more balls that Gassama receives, the more chance that there is of either a goal or penalty.
Bietigheim need to contain Daria Dmitrieva in the second half. The Russian back is frequently roaming on both sides of the court in attack for Krim.
14:42
HALF-TIME UPDATE: SG BBM Bietigheim 15:14 Krim Mercator Ljubljana
Well, an intriguing first half between Bietigheim and Krim ends with the German side holding a one-goal advantage after Trine Østergaard scored a fast break goal in the final 20 seconds of the half.
A lot of the key statistics are tightly matched, and the game has been played at a good tempo, particularly in the second quarter, so we should have an exciting second half ahead of us.
14:31
So far, in a match where the goals have been widely distributed among the players, three players have scored three goals each: Kaba Gassama Cissokho (Bietigheim), Barbara Lazovic and Daria Dmitrieva (Krim). The score is locked at 12:12 after 26 minutes.
14:23
Krim scored two unanswered goals when Kaba Gassama Cissokho was on a suspension to reduce Bietigheim's advantage to one goal, 8:7, though the Slovenian side have since lost the ball in attack a couple of times. Both teams' scoring efficiencies remain fairly similar.
14:13
With Bietigheim taking a 6:3 lead after a 3:0 run, Krim coach Dragan Adzic has called his first timeout. Bietigheim goalkeeper Melinda Szikora has made four saves from seven shots faced and is seemingly full of energy in the German side's goal.
14:08
Some early opportunities for Krim go to waste as Aleksandra Rosiak misses a penalty and Allison Pineau fumbles the ball after making a good steal to set up a fast break. However, the score is 3:3 after eight minutes.
14:02
Bietigheim vs Krim is under way in Germany. In case you missed the line-ups on EHFTV before the match, here they are.
13:57
With the lights dimmed in the arena, both teams have been introduced to the crowd.
13:48
Pre-match EHFTV coverage of SG BBM Bietigheim vs Krim Mercator Ljubljana is beginning now.
13:30
Later on, when Esbjerg face Metz in Match of the Week, the home team will need to end the French side's five-game unbeaten streak in the EHF Champions League if they are to claim the two points.
Notably, one of the games in Metz's unbeaten run was the third-place match at the EHF FINAL4 Women 2022. On that occasion, Metz earned a comfortable six-goal win, 32:26, and they have made an excellent start to this season's group phase.
13:20
Krim coach Dragan Adzic believes that Bietigheim's experience of working together is why they have been able to put together a long unbeaten streak and win important trophies along the way.
"They won the German title and they play the best tactical handball in the Champions League right now. This is the result of the fact that they have been together for a long time. They also have top players who have more experience in the EHF Champions League.
"We have been together for three months this season and we have been working together since summer. I believe that we will compete well on Sunday and we will give our best," said Dragan Adzic.
Sunday - 13:10
Good afternoon and welcome to Sunday's live blog coverage from round 5 of the EHF Champions League Women group phase 2022/23.
Match of the Week between Esbjerg and Metz will throw-off at 16:00 CEST, but the first match this afternoon will take place in Germany when SG BBM Bietigheim face Krim Mercator at 14:00 CEST.
After Vipers Kristiansand's draw against FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria on Saturday, either Bietigheim or CSM Bucuresti – who face DHK Banik Most at 16:00 CEST – will end round 5 in first place in group A.
SG BBM Bietigheim right back Julia Maidhof is hopeful that her side can secure the two points necessary to remain top of group A.
"Against Krim we will face a team with strong individual players and experience. We have to build a solid defence again in our game. We play at home and with the spectators behind us, we're aiming for the next two points to defend first place in our group," said Julia Maidhof.
Whilst Krim’s sole victory in this season's group phase came against Banik Most, they only lost by two goals against CSM Bucuresti and FTC.
20:30
We'll leave you this evening with some of the best photos from this afternoon's matches. Come back tomorrow for more action, including our Match of the Week between Metz Handball and Team Esbjerg!
I hope we break our bad luck with these two points. We are very happy that we won the game. I know Lokomotiva Zagreb will be a great team with their young players and coach in the future.
I think it was a tough and good match, there was a really big intensity and both teams really wanted to win. It is always hard to come here to Ferencvaros to get the points. I think we have won a point, but with how the match was played I also think we lost one.
