GROUP A REVIEW: It was not a walk in the park, but Vipers got their second win of the season with a dominating performance in Bietigheim
Bietigheim had won more games against Vipers - they beat them twice in the 2017/18 season - than against any other opponent in the DELO EHF Champions League, but the history did not help the German side.
Norwegian champions Vipers did not have their best game, yet they still went out and got the two points with a 33:29 win.
GROUP A
SG BBM Bietigheim (GER) vs Vipers Kristiansand (NOR) 29:33 (14:15)
- Vipers and CSM Bucuresti are the only teams in group A with two wins from two matches
- Bietigheim briefly led in the first half (10:9) until a 3:0 run sparked by Nora Mørk turned the game on tis head
- Nora Mørk finished the game with nine goals - four of which in the first seven minutes of the game
- out for a long time with knee problems, Mørk had not scored more than three goals in a single CL game since 5 February 2018
- dating back to last season, Bietigheim have now lost their last four CL matches and are bottom of the table
Relying on their backs
Norwegian handball is renowned for its fast breaks and its amazing speed, yet Vipers flipped the book and relied heavily on their backs for the win against Bietigheim.
Nearly 70 percent of their goals (23 from 33) came from their back line, with Nora Mørk having her best outing in more than two years with her nine-goal tally. Left back Henny Reistad also had a superb showing, putting seven past the Bietigheim defence.
TEXT:
EHF / Adrian Costeiu