Magdeburg in seventh heaven with astonishing win in the EHF FINAL4

The IHF Men’s Super Globe winners in 2021 and 2022, SC Magdeburg, wrote another page of history at the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 in Cologne, securing their second-ever title in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League with an outstanding performance over the last weekend.

Magdeburg, which were considered huge underdogs before the start of the competition, facing Barça in the semi-finals, powered through to the title with an excellent performance, clinching a win against the Spanish powerhouse on penalties, moving on to win the final against Barlinek Industria Kielce in extra-time.

The German side completed an astonishing performance over the last two seasons, opening their account in the EHF European League Men, adding another international trophy with a win in the 2021 IHF Men’s Super Globe, before going on to become German champions only for the second time in their history in the 2021/22 season.

That meant that Magdeburg got a spot in the European premium competition, but before sealing the title there, they also clinched their second IHF Men’s Super Globe title in a row, sealing another win in extra time against Barça.

They became only the third team in history to win four international competitions in three seasons, after Barça and Ciudad Real, but also the eighth team to win two EHF Champions League titles and the one who had to wait the longest to secure their second trophy, 21 years.

It all looked to unravel for Magdeburg, a team which saw crucial players go down with injuries this season, when Barça went up three goals in the second half of their semi-final, especially as the Spanish powerhouse was unbeaten this season, with 15 wins and one draw.

A sturdy comeback saw Magdeburg push the game into extra time after Michael Damgaard acrobatically saved a shot in the last second after influential centre back Gísli Kristjánsson went down with a shoulder injury, apparently aggravating his previous injury, which looked set to take him out for the season. 

But Magdeburg found their way back, as they eventually sealed a 40:39 win on penalties after Barça missed four penalties through Melvyn Richardson, Dika Mem, Ludovic Fabregas and Hampus Wanne.

In the other semi-final, Barlinek Industria Kielce took a nail-biting 25:24 win against Paris Saint-Germain Handball, denying the French side another chance to fight for the title, with goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, the All-Star goalkeeper at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship, stealing the show with 12 saves for a 37% saving efficiency.

While Barça sealed a 37:31 win in the bronze medal game against PSG, handing the French champions their first-ever loss in a bronze medal game in six tries at the EHF FINAL4, the final was also a nail-biter.

The fourth final in the current format to go into extra time saw Kielce take a four-goal lead in the second half, only for Magdeburg to mount an impressive comeback. And it was all down to their excellent back line, spearheaded by right back Kay Smits and Kristjánsson, who made a miraculous comeback, despite being clearly hampered by his shoulder injury.

The German side pushed the game into extra time after the scoreline was tied (26:26) after 60 minutes, only for Kristjánsson to take over the game and deliver an all-time performance for Magdeburg, which emerged victorious with a 30:29 win.

It was the second title in the European premium competition for Magdeburg and the second final loss in a row for Kielce, heartbreakingly, as the German side celebrated with their fans. 19,750 fans made their way to the LANXESS Arena in Cologne.

Kristjánsson earned the MVP plaudits for this edition of the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4, while Kay Smits scored 19 goals over the weekend but failed to win the top goal scorer title of the season, who went to Danish back Emil Wernsdorf Madsen from GOG, with 107 goals.

Photo: European Handball Federation / Kolektiff Images