Metz still unbeaten, buzzer-beater drama in Croatia; first win for NFH

• Ludwigsburg grabbed their first home win in four matches after an outstanding Johanna Bundsen's performance - goalkeeper saved 20 Vipers' attempts at 40,82 per cent save efficiency
• As many as 11 out of 13 field players scored at least once for Ludwigsburg and stopped Vipers' two-game winning streak
• Aimee Von Pereira, Alberte Madsen and Mona Obaidli netted 19 goals between them for Nykøbing's maiden win of the season, or almost 60 per cent of all Nykøbing's goals
• Podravka are on a four-game unbeaten streak after securing two points against Storhamar in the last moments of the game - Katarina Pandža, who delivered the winning goal, netted five altogether; Klara Birtic scored six
• despite Krim's second defeat against Metz, Jovanka Radicevic still managed to net six times, bringing her overall tally to 1,161 goals - she is the new all-time EHF Champions League Women scorer, surpassing Cristina Neagu by one goal

GROUP A

Nykøbing Falster Håndboldklub (DEN) vs CS Gloria 2018 BN (ROU) 32:24 (16:13)

After losing 29:37 a week earlier, Nykøbing were determined to get their revenge and claim their first win of the season. After a balanced start, Gloria struggled to find their rhythm in the attack as Nykøbing's solid defence forced them into mistakes. The Danish side built a three-goal lead and withstood Gloria's attempts to narrow the gap. Aimee Von Pereira led the charge for the home side, maintaining the intensity right up until halftime with five goals. The Romanian club had few chances to shift the momentum in the second half when they closed down the deficit to a single goal, but goalkeeper Catharina Broch made sure Nykøbing stayed on the victory course. Natalia Nosek's seven goals and Renata De Arruda's 11 saves were not enough for Gloria.

Podravka Vegeta (CRO) vs Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR) 25:24 (14:12)

Like the week before, the clash between these two sides was evenly matched. Podravka had a small edge, but Storhamar refused to back down and with good defensive display, were neck-to-neck. However, near the end of the first half, Podravka capitalised on Storhamar's turnovers and made a mark. Klara Birtic scored her third goal to push Podravka to a three-goal lead (14:11). A better second half performance gave Storhamar new confidence, and Ane Cecilie Høgseth netted for 17:16, their first lead after 6:5 in the 12th minute. They extended it to 23:20 and forced Podravka to call two timeouts in three minutes. In the following seven minutes, Podravka netted twice while Storhamar were left reeling in the attack, thus bringing an exciting finish in Koprivnica. Storhamar went to the last attack with 7 vs 6, Lucija Bešen stopped it and Katarina Pandža scored with the buzzer into an empty net.

Metz Handball (FRA) vs Krim Mercator Ljubljana (SLO) 34:30 (14:11)

Krim made their way to Metz with a fresh start under new coach Žiga Novak, a former assistant coach who took over following Dragan Adzic's departure. Novak was determined to shake things up and inject new energy into the team. For 20 minutes, Krim fought hard, keeping up with Metz as neither side had more than a one-goal lead. When Cléopatre Darleux pulled off a couple of great saves, Metz spurred a goal-run. Sarah Bouktit and Chloé Valentini kept on giving, both ending with nine goals scored, as Metz proved too strong. Their biggest lead in the second half was by six, and Krim managed to reduce it with the help of Tatjana Brnovic, but still had to accept their fourth-straight defeat.

GROUP B

HB Ludwigsburg (GER) vs Vipers Kristiansand (NOR) 33:29 (18:15)

HB Ludwigsburg outplayed Vipers and secured their first home win of the season. Johanna Bundsen was on fire at the start of the game, stopping shots with an incredible 70 per cent efficiency early on and finishing the first half with 11 saves. Despite her outstanding performance, Ludwigsburg could not capitalise, as eight turnovers kept Vipers within reach. Everything changed around the 20th minute with Vipers' hasty attack pushing Ludwigsburg to a strong 16:11 lead, courtesy of Dorottya Faluvégi. That lead morphed to a six goals early in the second half as things started to go awry for Vipers following the injury of their best scorer, Jamina Roberts. Whatever coach Tomás Hlavatý tried, it was not working for Norwegians - their biggest trail was by seven, but with the help of Tuva Høve they managed to close the gap before the final buzzer.