CSM’s five-game unbeaten streak this season was snapped by the reigning champions, Vipers Kristiansand, who got back to winning ways with a strong performance in the second half, which finished with a 35:20 win.

GROUP A

Vipers Kristiansand (NOR) vs CSM Bucuresti (ROU) 35:29 (15:15)

• with a draw against Esbjerg last season, CSM were riding a six-game unbeaten streak, tying with their largest ever in the history of the EHF Champions League Women, but Vipers broke it with this win
• left back Marketa Jerabkova, the MVP of last season’s EHF FINAL4, delivered her best performance this season and the second-best in her career in the premium European competition, scoring 11 goals, including three in a row in the second half
• CSM’s best scorer was once again left back Cristina Neagu, whose 10 goals improved her overall tally this season to 40, jumping to fifth place in the top goal scorer standings
• the Romanian side conceded such a large amount of goals for the first time since January 2019, when Györ put 36 goals past Adrian Vasile’s side
• with CSM’s loss, only two sides are unbeaten at this point of the season, leaders SG BBM Bietigheim in Group A and second-placed Rapid Bucuresti in Group B

CSM fail first real test

The first tough test for CSM Bucuresti, away against the reigning champions, Vipers Kristiansand, showed that the Romanian side needs to improve its credentials before really challenging for a place in the EHF FINAL4, a feature that they have not achieved since 2018.

While the first half was excellent for the Romanian side, the second one saw little impetus in their defence which conceded the largest number of goals in a single game since January 2019.

It was also the first loss for CSM this season in all competitions, after a 13-game unbeaten streak, while Vipers bounced back in style after two games without a win on the trot, with another one tying their worst ever streak in the EHF Champions League Women.