Hennie Rystad and Nora Mörk shone and scored a total of 26 goals in Denmark's Esbjerg's 37-33 win over France's Metz in Sunday's Champions League bronze medal match.
Sunday's game was a repeat of the bronze medal game two years ago, when Metz won 32-26. Also last year, Esberg competed in the bronze medal match. Then the Danes lost by one goal to Győr.
On attempt number three, Esbjerg finally got the ship to third place in the prestigious European Cup.
31 of Esbjerg's goals were scored by Norwegian players, led by Rystad and Mork with 13 goals each.
After a tight first round in Budapest, the teams entered the locker room with the score at 18-18. The two teams continued to follow each other closely even after the break, and with fifteen minutes left in the match, the score was 27-26 in favor of Esbjerg after another Mork goal.
In the last minutes, Esbjerg proved that he was the stronger and eventually achieved victory.
The Esbjerg team consists of a number of Norwegian national team profiles. In addition to Mork and Rystad, Leif Rachfeldt Dyla, Kristin Bristol, Marit Rosberg Jacobsen and Sanna Solberg-Isaksen are part of the great Danish team.
On Saturday, Esbjerg lost 23-24 in a tense, dramatic semi-final match to Hungary's Győr. In the last second, Norwegian Sana Solberg-Isaksen had a dangerous opportunity to equalize and secure overtime, but Danish Jyoor Sandra Tofte's last chance stood in the way of the attempt.
Metz lost 36-29 to German Bettigheim in the second semi-final match on Saturday. The final match will be held later on Sunday.
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