For the third time in four years, a Spanish team clinched the trophy in the EHF European Cup Women and this time Atticgo Elche secured the two necessary wins for their maiden European trophy.

Elche, one of the three Spanish teams to enter the competition, secured their place in the final after disposing of Bulgarian side HC Byala, with a 97:30 aggregate win in Round 2 and eliminated Greek side OFC Ionias with a 60:50 aggregate win in Round 3.

Next up, in the Round of 16 phase, Elche took a 59:49 aggregate win against Portuguese side Madeira SAD and had an easier path in the quarter-finals, where they clinched a clear 79:39 aggregate win against North Macedonian side WHC Gjorche Petrov.

An all-Spanish battle in the semi-finals meant that a Spanish side was always going to be in the final and Elche eliminated three-time winners of the competition, Rocasa Gran Canaria, which had previously clinched the title in 2016, 2019 and 2022.

A 26:24 win, powered by 11 goals from right back Danila So Delgado helped Elche clear the way for the second leg, where they beat Gran Canaria 24:18 on their home court, setting up a final against Slovak side MKS Iuventa Michalovce, which eliminated Benfica, 60:58 on aggregate.

Elche, with a core full of experienced players, like Brazilian right wing Alexandra do Nascimento, who was a world champion in 2013 and the 2012 IHF Female Player of the Year, secured a 22:20 win in the first leg, took the first leg, 22:20, on their home court, but Iuventa had the second leg on their home court.

However, it was all Elche, which dominated the second leg from start to finish, with a 15:10 lead after the first 30 minutes morphing into a 28:22 away win, where Dutch right back Tessa van Zijl scored five goals.

With a 50:44 aggregate win, Atticgo BM Elche secured their maiden European trophy and the fifth for Spanish side in the EHF European Cup Women, tying France as the second best nation, with only two titles away from the record, set by Germany.

Elche had the top two scorers in the competition, Daniela So Delago, with 75 goals, and van Zijl, with 58 goals, having won 11 of the 12 matches played in the competition, with their only loss coming against Madeira in the Round of 16.

Photo credit: EHF / Marek Findrek