Porto had to wait until the 10th round to suffer their first home defeat in last season’s Champions League, but in this campaign the Portuguese side fell right from the start. Despite a strong first half, it was muted by Elverum’s defence after the break. 

And thanks to goalkeeper Thorsten Fries and Alexander Christoffersen Blonz, their goal-machine left winger, Elverum were able to take their first two points of the season.

GROUP A

FC Porto (POR) vs Elverum Handball (NOR) 28:30 (16:12)

• Elverum’s left-winger Alexander Christoffersen Blonz was the game’s best scorer, with 10 goals
• For his first game with new club Elverum, French right-winger Luc Abalo netted three times
• Porto took the first clear advantage of the game shortly before half-time, leading by five at the 29th minute (16:11)
• The away side turned things around after the break, only conceding seven goals in the last 23 minutes of the game
• Porto’s Rui Silva suffered what could be a serious knee injury in the final seconds of the game

Defence key to Elverum's success

Elverum’s defensive performance in the second half was elemental in their win. On the 38th minute, the away side was down by three, but a change of defensive system turned things around. At the other end, Luc Abalo scored his first goals on fastbreaks. And thanks to Thorsten Fries’ saves, the Norwegian side only conceded one goal in the next 13 minutes, cruising away to victory on the back of a 9:1 series.