The result could not alter the order of the DELO EHF Champions League group A standings, but Vipers Kristiansand were determined to make a stand, snap their three-game losing streak and return to winning ways against RK Krim Mercator.

On Saturday evening, Vipers produced a good attacking performance to take an impressive 37:30 win against an overmatched Slovenian side.

GROUP A
Vipers Kristiansand (NOR) vs RK Krim Mercator (SLO) 37:30 (16:15) – in Ljubljana (SLO)

• with the current restrictions in place in Norway, the game was played in Ljubljana. Vipers had already won against Krim there, 27:26, in the first round of the group phase
• Krim jumped to an early 5:1 lead, but Vipers' strong comeback put them in control, 11:8, after three goals from centre back Tonje Refsnes, who scored for the first time in the DELO EHF Champions League 2020/21
• 23-year-old left back Ragnhild Dahl (11 goals) and 21-year old right back Karine Dahlum (seven goals) had their best-ever games in Europe's elite competition
• the Slovenian side relied on Montenegrin centre back Matea Pletikosic, who scored 11 times to top her previous best tally in the competition of nine goals, scored one week ago in the win against Rostov-Don
• Krim’s 19th goal in the game, which cut Vipers’ lead to only three goals, 22:19, was their 7,000th goal in the EHF Champions League; only Buducnost have previously reached that milestone
• Vipers finished fifth in group A will meet Odense in the play-off round, while Krim finished seventh and will meet CSKA in the next phase

Vipers fall short of tying their best attacking outing

Star right back Nora Mørk came off injured on Wednesday against Rostov-Don and was rested against Krim, but Vipers’ young Norwegian players went on a scoring spree against the Slovenian side.

Vipers stopped just short of their best-ever outing in the DELO EHF Champions League, 38 goals against Metz last season, but converted 70 per cent of their shots to take a convincing win, 37:30, in what looked like a flawless attacking performance on Saturday evening.

Post-match quotes

"I am disappointed not because we lost the match, but how we played 45 minutes. We started okay, but then it was a bad defence and it was a bigger result in the end today. About CSKA, maybe Russian handball is more similar then Scandinavian – I hope we will play much better," said RK Krim Mercator head coach Uroš Bregar.

"We have been on the road for 12 days and it is nice to have a victory in the end. I think now we want to go home and prepare for the next phase," said Vipers Kristiansand head coach Ole Gustav Gjekstad.