RK Krim Mercator might have managed a surprising draw against Rostov in round 2, but they stood no chance against a flawless Metz side, who sealed their second win in a row, 33:27 on Saturday afternoon.

GROUP A
Metz Handball (FRA) vs RK Krim Mercator (SLO) 33:27 (19:11)

• the French side extended their unbeaten home streak to 24 games, as their last loss came in the main round of the 2016/17 season, 28:25, against FTC Rail-Cargo Hungaria
• Krim scored the first goal of the game, but a 6:1 run from Metz that prevented Krim from scoring for five minutes was enough to push the French side to the win
• in 24 attempts, the Slovenian champions had never started the EHF Champions League season without a win in their first three games, until now
• the difference was made by Metz’s attack, which had a 61 per cent shot efficiency, compared to Krim’s 54 per cent
• the hosts drew level with CSM and Vipers, with four points in three games, while Krim are still sixth with one point

Stanko shines against former team

In her first ever outing against her former team, Krim, where she played between 2017 and 2019, Metz centre back Tjasa Stanko had a flawless game. The 22-year-old Slovenian was the top scorer of the game, with eight goals from eight shots, shining bright and flashing the superb potential that coach Emmanuel Mayonnade saw in her and Uros Bregar developed.