Odense Handball's difficult spell went from bad to worse on Sunday. The day after head coach Jakob Vestergaard was dismissed due to disappointing results, the Danes suffered a shock defeat in the Champions League when they lost 23–26 to the Norwegian side Storhamar.
With the win, Storhamar overtook Odense in the group standings, while the Danes sit in fifth place with three points.
Assistant coach Mark Strandgaard has taken over as interim head coach, but he was unable to steer Odense to a much-needed turnaround on Sunday.
The Norwegian visitors looked dangerous right from the start and took an early lead.
However, Odense—led by Mie Hojlund, who scored four times in the first half—found their rhythm and went into the break with a narrow lead.
After the break, however, Odense struggled significantly in attack, as Storhamar goalkeeper Eli Marie Raasok pulled off several crucial saves.
The home side found it difficult to convert their chances, scoring on only half of their shots throughout the match. Midway through the second half, Storhamar's Kristin Venn extended the visitors' lead to four goals.
Odense fought hard to get back into the match, but Storhamar held onto their lead.
Ultimately, Sanne Lokka Hagen and Susanne Amundsen sealed the victory with a goal each to give the visitors one of the biggest victories in the club's history.