EHF Finals Men
EHF FINALS MEN
Füchse Berlin end Granollers' fairy tale and claim trophy
Although EHF Finals Men 2023 hosts SG Flensburg-Handewitt missed out on a spot in the final weekend of the EHF European League Men 2022/23, there was some comfort for German fans as Füchse Berlin emerged as victors after a weekend of exciting handball.
Germany had two teams in the final four standing – Berlin and Frisch Auf Göppingen. They were paired against Montpellier HB and Fraikin BM. Granollers respectively in the semi-finals.
Granollers produced an outstanding performance to beat Göppingen and become the first Spanish team in the final of a second-tier European club competition since 2007. Rangel de Rosa and Marc Guardia in goal proved decisive in helping their team to a 31:29 victory, after Granollers trailed by two at half-time.
A strong team effort led by goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev and wing Hans Lindberg took Berlin to the final. Montpellier had the better start, but Berlin slowly clawed their way back and the score was level at the break. In the second half, Berlin steamed ahead to take a 35:29 victory.
There was another turnaround in the 3/4 placement match, as Göppingen’s early errors left them down in the first half. In the second half, the German side were stronger and former Montpellier goalkeeper Marin Sego made key saves to take Frisch Auf to a 33:29 win.
Berlin looked dominant from the early stages of the final, although Granollers made a good start. The 'Foxes' were up by four at half-time and eventually took a 36:31 win to lift the trophy – despite Granollers’ continued efforts, buoyed by strong fan support. It was Füchse’s 15th victory in 16 EHF European League games.
One of the keys to the win was the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games MVP Mathias Gidsel – but right back and captain Fabian Wiede was named MVP of the EHF Finals Men after scoring six goals in the final, much to his supporters’ delight.
Kadetten Schaffhausen right wing Odinn Thor Rikhardsson was the competition’s top scorer. He scored 110 goals in 13 matches, ahead of Ihor Turchenko (HC Motor/97) and finalist Antonio Garcia Robledo from Granollers, who scored 94 times since the start of the group phase.
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EHF Finals Women
EHF FINALS WOMEN
Third time a charm for Ikast Handbold
Two Danish and two German sides made it to the EHF Finals Women 2023 in Graz, Austria – Ikast Handbold, Nykøbing Falster Håndbold, BV Borussia 09 Dortmund, and Thüringer HC.
Ikast entered the final weekend undefeated throughout the EHF European League season but with the shadow of two previous EHF Finals Women semi-final defeats hanging over them. In the semi-final against Thüringer HC, Ikast started slow but soon took a big lead and with Jessica Ryde solid in goal cruised to a 31:26 victory.
In the second semi-final, EHF European League debutants Nykøbing kept pace with Dortmund. Despite a four-goal deficit at half-time, the Danish side remained steadfast and Nikita Van der Viet and Elma Halilcevic’s efforts brought them into contention. With Dortmund failing to score for seven minutes, the game was tied at full time and again by the end of extra time, forcing a penalty shootout.
Cecilie Greve was the heroine of the hour for Nykøbing in the shootout, with three straight saves taking her team to an all-Danish final against Ikast with a 35:33 win.
The German placement match went Dortmund’s way thanks to strong defensive efforts, and a 54 per cent efficiency in goal by Yara ten Holte.
In the final, Nykøbing took an early lead, but Ikast came out of the dressing room after the break on fire and turned around a two-goal deficit into a two-goal lead. They then stretched out to secure a 31:24 win.
Left wing Emma Friis won the EHF Finals Women 2023 MVP award with another great performance - after four goals in the semi-final, she netted 11 against Nykøbing. Ingvild Bakkerud was also important for Ikast in their victory, and Ryde again stood strong in goal.
THC left back Annika Lott ended the tournament as the EHF European League top scorer for the season, netting 86 goals in 14 matches – four more than Nykøbing’s Elma Halilcevic. Ten Holte stood out for Dortmund in goal with 140 saves (37.7 per cent) in 12 matches, while Ryde was the most efficient goalkeeper of the season with a save efficiency of almost 40 per cent.
The EHF European League Women had earlier seen a new world record set, with 11,112 fans watching Dortmund play Siófok KC in their last group phase match.
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