Denmark’s Odense Händbold defeated Crimean Otp Group Mercator in an away match in Slovenia, winning three consecutive Champions League titles.
Odense defeated Crimea Mercator 38-30 in the seventh round of Group B of the 2025/26 EHF Women’s Handball Champions League at Hala Tivoli in Ljubljana, Slovenia on the 8th (local time).
Odense continued to lead the group with five wins, one draw and one loss (11 points), while Crimea Mercator, which lost two consecutive wins, finished seventh with two wins and five losses (4 points).
사진 확대 Photo 2025/26 EHF Women’s Handball Champions League Odense and Cream Mercator match, photo source = European Handball Federation
Odense took the early lead in the match, when both teams faced off with two consecutive wins. Odense, who led Elma Halilcevic’s performance, gained momentum by running 3-0 at the start of the game.
Crimea gradually found its rhythm in the attack and chased 9-7 in 13 minutes, but Odense’s counterattack immediately began. The Danish team scored five goals and conceded just one goal in the next five minutes, widening the gap in the first half, finishing 23-16.
The second half was more balanced, but Odense thoroughly controlled the flow of the game. While slowing down the offensive tempo a little, he blocked Crimea’s counterattack with solid defense and organized movements.
Four minutes before the end of the game, the score gap was 38-27, with a whopping 11 goals to seal the victory. Crimea then saved face by scoring three goals in a row at the end of the game, but Odense’s complete victory remained unchanged.
“We got the result we wanted,” Odense coach Jakob Vestergaard told the European Handball Federation. It was very important to stay in rhythm throughout the game. All the players showed a high level of performance, and I’m most happy about that,” he said, expressing satisfaction with the team’s high-quality performance.
Crimea Mercator coach ̌iga Novak said, “We intensively trained for defensive transitions in preparation for changes in the opponent’s tactics. However, Odense players had much stronger physique and strength. We should not be late for a single moment. It was my goal to score 30 goals, but especially in the first half, there were too many runs,” he said.
[Kim Yongpil, MK Sports Reporter]