The previously-unbeaten BV Borussia 09 Dortmund held the lead for only 56 seconds throughout the game, as they surrendered two important points to CSM Bucuresti in their 25:22 loss.

GROUP A

BV Borussia 09 Dortmund (GER) vs CSM Bucuresti (ROU) 22:25 (11:12)

• Dortmund tied their worst-ever first-half output in the DELO EHF Champions League, a record set in the previous season in the two games played against Gyor
• the 22 goals conceded by CSM was the lowest number for the Romanian champions since October 2020, when FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria could only score 19 times
• Dortmund’s goalkeeper, Yara Ten Holte, had a superb outing, stopping 17 shots, for a 41% save efficiency, but could not save a point for her side
• German back Alina Grijseels scored only five goals for Dortmund, but is still the top goal scorer of the competition, with 34 goals, one more than Savehof’s back Jamina Roberts
• the German champions failed to mark the best-ever unbeaten run in the European premier competition, only tying their previous best three-game streak

CSM were down, but not out

Whenever you count CSM Bucuresti out, well… they deliver. The Romanian side started the season with two losses, but bounced back admirably with two away wins in a row, against HC Podravka Vegeta and BV Borussia 09 Dortmund. If the win against Podravka came after a superb attacking display, 36:31, this one was all about old-school defence, preventing the German side from scoring more than 22 goals.

Cristina Neagu was the Romanian team’s top scorer, with six goals, but her efficiency was only 36%. Instead, CSM relied on backs Emilie Hegh Arntzen and Elizabeth Omoregie, who scored four goals each, and line player Yvette Broch, who scored four times and is looking increasingly important for CSM.