Last week, Vipers Kristiansand beat Odense Håndbold in Denmark, 32:27. In the second edition of the Nordic derby, in Norway, it again ended in favour of the reigning champions, who won with a near-identical score, 31:27.

GROUP B

Vipers Kristiansand (NOR) vs Odense Håndbold (DEN) 31:27 (17:16)

• in the sixth minute, Odense's third goal scored by Mia Rej brought up their 1,000th goal scored in Europe's top-flight
• Vipers had a four-goal advantage, 12:8, midway through the first half, but Odense drew level. Nora Mork's goal gave the home team the upper hand at the break, 17:16
• between minutes 44 and 56, Vipers used a 7:2 run to take a 30:24 lead, which settled the game
• Odense dropped their first points away from home after three wins in as many previous games
• with 10 points, Vipers climbed to a provisional second place in group B, while Odense remained fifth with eight points

Lunde and Mork play key roles

After making quite a number of changes in the squad in the summer, Vipers did not play like reigning champions early in the season when they suffered three defeats in five matches. However, the Norwegian side have improved a lot, and end 2021 with three straight wins in the DELO EHF Champions League.

While the new players such as Ana Debelic or Isabelle Gullden have gradually settled in, it is veterans Kathrine Lunde and Nora Mork who continue to play key roles. On Saturday, Lunde recorded 14 saves, and Mork scored seven goals, to contribute significant performances to their team's success.