In their third participation in the EHF Finals Women – after two losses in the semi-final in the first two editions – Ikast Håndbold finally broke their duck and secured their maiden title in the EHF European League Women after the format has been changed. It is their third in the history of the second-tier European competition.

Ikast completed a flawless season, riding a 10-game winning streak on their way to the trophy and celebrating an excellent achievement in the Raiffeisen Sportpark in Graz, Austria, just as they played their 30th game in history in the EHF European League Women.

The Danish side started the weekend with a superb win over German side Thüringer HC in the semi-finals of the EHF Finals Women, taking a clear 31:26 win after they led at half-time by a seven-goal margin (17:10) as coach Kasper Christensen helped his players save some energy.

With a 43% saving efficiency from goalkeeper Jessica Ryde and eight goals from Ingvild Kristensen Bakkerud, Ikast rose to the occasion and left nothing to chance after losing their semi-final in the previous two editions of the competition.

They faced a nervous wait with seeing who their opponents were going to be in the final, as Nykøbing Falster Håndbold and BV Borussia 09 Dortmund delivered an epic match in the second semi-final, with plenty of twists and turns until revealing the second finalist.

It proved to be a 100% Danish final, as NFH powered to the last act after Mia Solberg Svele scored 10 goals to help her side take a 35:33 win after four periods of extra-time, with the scored tied at 29:29 after the regular 60 minutes.

But it was always going to be a tough proposition for NFH to win their maiden European trophy, especially as tired legs were going to matter in the back-to-back format of the EHF Finals Women.

Yet after 30 minutes in the final, Nykøbing Falster Håndbold were in command (15:14) before Ikast really took the game to them and proved to be the best team in the competition this season.

Led by an outstanding Emma Cecilie Uhrskov Friis, the left wing who won the bronze medal with Denmark at the 2021 IHF Women’s World Championship, Ikast bounced back and had little trouble taking control of the game, which ended in a clear 31:24 win for Ikast.

“We’re really glad about the performance in the second half, especially also at the end of the first half. We know it’s two teams that know each other really well. We’ve played a lot of matches in the Danish league, and the way Falster played against us in the first half, it’s the best I remember in the last seasons they’ve played, especially the defence was really good. A tough match for us, but I’m glad and also really happy about the way my players turned the match around,” said Ikast’s coach, Kasper Christensen, according to eurohandball.com.

Friis scored 11 goals and was named the MVP of the EHF Finals Women, as Ikast tied fellow Danish side Viborg HK as the only team in history with three titles in the second-tier European competition after their previous titles secured in 2002 and 2011. 

Teams from Denmark have also won 10 titles in total, being the country with the highest number of wins, three more than Hungary, as Ikast’s 12-year wait, which saw the Danish side qualify for the semi-finals five times, was finally stopped.

Ikast have dominated the competition this season, scoring the highest number of goals, 312, and winning games by an average margin of 7.2 goals per game this season, in the 10 matches they played, excellent numbers for a true powerhouse.

In the bronze medal game, BV Borussia 09 Dortmund took a 28:23 win over Thüringer HC, which still delivered the top goal scorer of the competition, Annika Lott, with 68 goals over the 10 games played in the competition proper.

Photo: European Handball Federation  / Kolektiff Images