Esbjerg had won their two previous matches at the competition, while Bistrita were looking for their first win in the competition, and very surprisingly, they got it on Saturday afternoon in the comfort of their own arena.
Cheered by their home crowd, the Romanian team looked very determined from the opening minutes and led for most of the first half, even if Esbjerg's Henny Reistad scored six goals before the break.
That scenario did not seem to change a lot after the restart, and 11 minutes into the second half, the hosts established a four-goal lead for the first time, 27-23.
However, the Danish visitors then finally seemed to get their act together, and Henny Reistad restored parity 32-32 with five minutes to play. But Danila So Delgado Pinto's two goals then led the home side to score three unanswered goals, before Lorena Ostase's goals sealed their victory.
"Congratulations to Gloria Bistrița for their performance and attitude today! We knew they were a strong and well-organized team. Conceding 38 goals is a clear sign and a lesson for us moving forward."
"I believe goalkeeper Renata De Arruda made a big difference in this match. It was a well-deserved victory for Gloria, and we’ll work to improve in the next games", said Team Esbjerg's coach Tomas Axner to the EHF website after the match.