Team Esbjerg lost a recent league game to local rival Odense HB. The Jutland team got some revenge in Champions League rerun, 32–23 away to reach the Quarterfinal stage.
Then penultimate group stage round made Esbjerg and Györi ETO KC advance to the top eight, where Metz HB and Ferencvaros already belonged in advance.
Györ had an easy sprint, 32–19 versus Ludwigsburg HB when the German team trailed behind early on. Johanna Bundsen was a lonely star in Ludwigsburg with a decent saving performance, Hatadou Sako reached 44 percent for Györ and the home team had overcapacity on most positions.
Minus nine turned to plus nine between two Esbjerg-Odense derbys. The Sunday version contained a show from Henny Reistad, an inspired goalkeeper performance from Anna Kristensen and dominating team moral from the away side.
– It is always fun to play these kind of matches. I am extremely proud that we turned it around and we have been working hard on both tactical and emotional aspects, said the winning coach Tomas Axnér to eurohandball.com.
In group A, CSM Bucharest denied Storhamar certain playoff access with a convincing 32-21-win. The first was a close call until Crina Pintea raised the bar from the pivot position. Bucharest increased the lead after the break and Evelina Eriksson stopped many shots from Storhamar.
Storhamar can stay on the right side of the line with at least one point against tough opposition, Metz HB in the final round. If not, they will have to rely on CSM Bucharest success versus Gloria Bistrita next Saturday.
Champions League
Group A, Storhamar–CSM Bucharest 21–32 (11–14)
Group B, Györi ETO KC–Ludwigsburg HB 32–19 (17-8)
Odense HB–Team Esbjerg 23–32 (11–16)