Boosted by an incredible crowd, the hosts of the EHF Finals Men 2022, SL Benfica, wrote history to become the first Portuguese side to clinch the trophy in the second-tier European competition after a nail-biting final against reigning champions SC Magdeburg.

The ‘Eagles’ tied the game in regular time at 32:32 with one second left on the clock and needed 10 more minutes to secure their first-ever international trophy with a 40:39 win, both decisive goals coming from line player Alexis Borges.

The season was far from a walk in the park for SL Benfica, who went through two Qualification Phases to reach the group phase of the competition. First, the Portuguese side eliminated HC Kriens-Luzern with a 60:42 aggregate score, progressing to the group phase thanks to a 64:59 aggregate win against Rhein-Neckar Löwen.

Benfica finished second in the group phase, tied on points with Danish side GOG, but enjoyed a superb knock-out phase, eliminating Fenix Toulouse Handball 70:68 on aggregate in the Last 16 phase and RK Gorenje Velenje in the quarter-finals, with a 63:56 aggregate win.

Bidding for the hosting rights of the EHF Finals Men, Benfica pulled out a coup, as the Portuguese fans flocked to the Altice Arena in Lisbon last weekend to cheer for their favourites.

Buoyed by a superb match from goalkeeper Sergey Fernandez, Benfica took a 26:19 win in the semi-final against Polish side Orlen Wisla Plock to set up the final against the then defending champions SC Magdeburg, who are also the title holders of the IHF Men’s Super Globe.

Magdeburg, who rode a 26-game unbeaten run into the final, secured a 34:29 win against Croatian side RK Nexe, as they were primed to retain the title in the second-tier European competition, a feature achieved by only two sides in history, Granollers in 1995 and 1996 and fellow German team Frisch Auf Göppingen, in 2011 and 2012 and in 2016 and 2017.

However, Benfica were once again lifted by Sergey Hernandez, the MVP of the EHF Finals Men, by Borges and German wing Ole Rahmel, who scored 11 goals in the final against Magdeburg.

Despite a weak start, Magdeburg bounced back and led by as many as three goals, 21:18, midway in the second half, only for Benfica to enjoy a superb spell that saw them back in the lead.

It was Rahmel who led the comeback and Borges who was crucial in the dying minutes, as the regular time finished in a stalemate, 32:32.

The experience of wing Jonas Kallman, the calm of the top scorer of the competition, Petar Djordjic and Hernandez – who finished the game with 17 saves – lifted Benfica to a 40:39 win that saw them secure their maiden international title.

For the first time in eight seasons, the EHF European League Men was won by a non-German team, with the last side to secure this achievement being Hungary’s Pick Szeged, in the 2013/14 season.

“It was already amazing for us to play a final against one of the best teams in the world, now we even won this final. We had a lot of luck in some moments. This is an important day for handball in Benfica and Portugal, it is the club’s 90-year anniversary, so this is an amazing trophy for 90 years, after an incredible match,” said Benfica’s coach, Chema Rodriguez.

Benfica also won their first international final after conceding two losses in the Men’s EHF Challenge Cup in the 2010/11 and 2015/16 seasons, while Magdeburg lost the final in the second-tier European competition for the second time, after the 2004/05 season.

For more information about the EHF European League and the Finals Men 2022, visit eurohandball.com.

Photo: EHF / kolektiff