Esbjerg’s depth, Katharina Filter’s impact and 17 turnovers – here are Norah Lagerkvist’s three takeaways after Team Esbjerg defeated Odense 26–23 in the top-of-the-table clash.
Esbjerg’s depth
Esbjerg were missing several key players but still came away with a 26–23 win against Odense. Henny Reistad, Line Haugsted, Silje Solberg, Julie Scaglione and Tabea Schmid were all unavailable, leaving the visitors with just 13 players on the team sheet.
And yet, Esbjerg found a way.
They defended aggressively, got a strong performance from Katharina Filter in goal and had several players step up when it mattered most. Live Rushfeldt Deila and Nora Mørk both scored six, while Helene Kindberg and Mia Emmenegger added four each.
It was not necessarily about replacing the missing stars individually. Instead, Esbjerg found different solutions and stuck to their game plan. That makes this win particularly impressive – especially away against one of their biggest rivals.
Katharina Filter’s impact
Katharina Filter was one of the main reasons Esbjerg were able to turn the game around.
Odense led for much of the first half and were still in front early after the break. Then Filter started to make a difference. Several saves in a row helped Esbjerg take the lead for the first time since the opening minutes, and from there, the visitors never looked back.
She finished with 13 saves, but her impact was about more than the number itself. The connection between Filter and the defence gave Esbjerg the platform they needed while the attack was struggling to find consistency.
17 turnovers
For Odense, the biggest issue was their inability to take care of the ball. They committed 17 technical errors over the course of the game, several of which came at crucial moments.
The home side had chances to create a bigger lead, but too many attacks broke down before they could turn them into goals. Esbjerg stayed patient and capitalised on Odense’s mistakes, particularly during the decisive stages of the second half.
In a game this tight, 17 turnovers proved costly.