Reistad powers Esbjerg's win, Metz snatch dramatic MOTW

• the Norwegian side dealt Gloria their fifth consecutive loss, opening a three-point gap ahead of the Romanian side
• Storhamar’s goalkeeper Eli Marie Raasok had a fantastic outing, with 19 saves and a 47.5 per cent saving efficiency
• Metz lead their group with 11 points, being the only unbeaten team in the competition, with one point over FTC and three points over Krim
• this match marked the 200th EHF Champions League Women game for Metz, and the 150th for CSM
• the French side amped their defence in the last 10 minutes, conceding a single goal, while scoring five to clinch the 32:31 win
• Henny Reistad scored 11 goals for Esbjerg in their 36:31 win against Ludwigsburg, improving her overall tally this season to 62 goals, comfortably leading the top scorer standings
• Esbjerg remain on top of the competition in terms of goals scored (202)

GROUP A

Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR) vs CS Gloria 2018 BN (ROU) 25:23 (13:11)

A 6:0 unanswered run for Storhamar, which saw Gloria fail to score for 10 minutes and 37 seconds, was the pivotal moment of the match. At that point, Storhamar took a 12:8 lead. Even though the gap at half-time was only two goals, Storhamar enjoyed the momentum and never relinquished their advantage in the second period.

The guest, however, fought admirably and on several occasions came within a single goal, before Obaidli's penalty shot claimed the Norwegian side's second win of the season. Obaidli was the top scorer of the match with eight goals.

Once again, Storhamar beat Gloria, exactly like in the final of the EHF European League Women last season, handing the Romanian side their fifth consecutive loss this season and piling on even more pressure for them, as the play-offs berth looks more elusive than ever.

MOTW: CSM Bucuresti (ROU) vs Metz Handball (FRA) 31:32 (16:19)

With Cristina Neagu on the bench for almost the entire 60 minutes of the match, CSM stood tall and were close to a win against Metz in Match of the Week, leading by three goals (30:27) with 10 minutes to go. But in the last nine minutes and 40 seconds, CSM scored only once, enabling Metz to go on a 5:0 unanswered run to clinch the win and extend their unbeaten run to six matches and their winning run to five matches.

The hosts were left with a bitter taste in the end, having fought back from a six-goal deficit (17:11) in the first half. Omoregie's goal in the 40th minute gave CSM's first lead of the match (23:22) and until the very few final minutes it looked as though CSM would hand Metz their first defeat. But, it was not meant to be for the Romanian side this time. In the final seconds Cléopatre Darleux saved Kobylinska's shot to secure a valuable win for the French side.

Elizabeth Omoregie and Monika Kobylinska scored seven goals each for the Romanian champions in their third loss, while Tyra Axnér with eight goals and Chloé Valentini and Sarah Bouktit with six each scored the most for Metz.

GROUP B

HB Ludwigsburg (GER) vs Team Esbjerg (DEN) 31:36 (16:18)

After a slow start, Team Esbjerg extended their winning streak to three matches, and their maiden away win of the season, with a 36:31 win over Ludwigsburg, clearly dominating the match throughout the 60 minutes. Once again, left back Henny Reistad was the top scorer for Esbjerg, becoming the first player to hit the 60-goal milestone, as the Norwegian star has 62 goals under her belt. On the other hand, Ludwigsburg have only four points, and their progression to the play-offs looks questionable.