Danish delight as rampant Midtjylland sink Hypo

FC Midtjylland came back into Europe’s premier club competition with a bang. Their resounding defeat of former Women’s EHF Champions League winners Hypo Niederösterreich in an impressive Group C opener on Sunday earned them their first two points of the season.

GROUP C
FC Midtjylland (DEN) vs Hypo Niederösterreich (AUT) 33:21 (14:11)

Missing out on the Women’s EHF Champions League last season has apparently galvanised Midtjylland and given the Danish champions a much-needed impetus to return to where they belong.

Although a youthful Hypo side devoid of big names who have left the club over the past two seasons may not be the most accurate barometer of Midtjylland’s strength, the Danish outfit sounded a warning to their rivals with a rock-solid performance.

The final score in no way flattered the home side, whose superior pace and mobility resulted in a barrage of fast breaks – most notably at the point when they scored 12 goals to Hypo’s one – hallmarking the traditional Scandinavian handball recipe.

Those easy and damaging goals came from a trademark strong defence, which ground down the visitors and opened up a plethora of attacking routes in a lop-sided second half.

Having taken a 4:2 lead, Hypo held their own for the best part of the first half as playmaker Patricia Kovacs netted five goals in the opening period and goalkeeper Olga Sanko produced several fine saves.

Led by new signing Louise Katharina Burgaard and the prolific Trine Ostergaard Jensen, Midtjylland pulled away to a 14:11 half-time lead – a sign of what came after the break.

With the home side leading 17:14 in the 40th minute and the match still in the balance, Midtjylland moved up two gears and romped to an 8:0 run in the next 12 minutes, effectively sealing the contest.

Jensen was simply unstoppable as Hypo clearly ran out of steam and hence ideas in attack, allowing their rivals to dominate with a series of uncontested shots. Sanko was almost powerless against the avalanche of goals.

Jensen finished as the game’s top scorer with nine goals, Johanna Marie Helene Ahlm chipped in with five and Burgaard added four for Midtjylland, while Kovacs led Hypo with six.