On Sunday, Team Esbjerg’s women’s handball team faced a tough challenge in the Champions League away against CSM Bucuresti.
The Romanian powerhouse won the match 34–31, though Team Esbjerg remained in contention for the victory for a long time.
This marked Team Esbjerg's first defeat of the season in the tournament, following four consecutive wins. Despite the loss, Team Esbjerg remains near the top of Group A with eight points from five matches.
In Sunday's match, Team Esbjerg took a 6–4 lead after ten minutes, and Live Rushfeldt Deila put the West Jutland side ahead 13–12 with seven minutes remaining in the first half.
That proved to be the last time Team Esbjerg held the lead in the match.
Team Esbjerg star Henny Reistad scored the final goal of the first half, with the Romanians claiming a narrow 18–17 lead at the interval.
The outcome remained in the balance, but CSM Bucuresti did not allow Team Esbjerg to take the lead at any point during the second half.
CSM Bucuresti also benefited from goals scored by Danes; Anne Mette Hansen and Emma Friis, who play for the Romanian side, scored three goals each.
Team Esbjerg’s Helene Kindberg Hansen narrowed the gap to 27–28 with seven minutes left, but the visiting team could not get any closer to securing points. Norwegian Live Rushfeldt Deila finished as the match's top goalscorer with seven goals, but that did not help Team Esbjerg secure any points in Bucharest.