The legend of FC Barcelona continues in European handball, after the Spanish giants secured their 12th trophy in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League and their fourth trophy in the last six years, after two excellent performances in the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 in Cologne over the weekend.

Barcelona entered the competition with the best record this season, with 15 wins in 16 matches, dropping a single one, but they had to navigate a tough semi-final against Aalborg Håndbold to secure their place in the final.

They led by as many as five goals in the second half against the Danish team, in the rematch of the final of the 2023/24 season, but Aalborg produced a fantastic comeback, to tie the score and even have the chance to win the match in regular time, but failed to score in the last attack.

With a 28:28 tie in regular time, the match went to extra time, and Aalborg stayed true to their selves, sticking to the gameplan which produced the comeback in the second half, namely playing seven-against-six to try to overload Barcelona’s defence.

That plan backfired spectacularly in the first five minutes, with Barcelona scoring four times with an open goal shot from five goals and created a three-goal lead, which proved to be unassailable, becoming the backbone of the Spanish side’s 37:32 win.

Right wing Aleix Gómez Abello became the all-time top scorer of the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 in Cologne with eight goals in the match, leapfrogging Mikkel Hansen, who held the record with 81 goals prior to this season, while Portugal line player Luis Frade added seven goals.

The second semi-final was a 100% German duel between the two best teams in the Bundesliga this season, champions SC Magdeburg, last season’s champions, and Füchse Berlin, who had Mathias Gidsel in superb form.

The two sides combined for 75 goals in the match, as Füchse booked their place for the second consecutive season in the final, with a 40:35 win, boosted by nine goals from Mathias Gidsel and five of the six saves made by goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev in the last 10 minutes.

Füchse had never won the title in the Champions League, while Barcelona had won it 11 times before this final, but did the experience play a part in the outcome of this season? Indeed it did.

Barcelona started strong, while Füchse’s main weapon, Mathias Gidsel, missed his first three shots, as the Spanish side created a 15:10 lead.

In his last match as a Barcelona player before moving to Veszprem, goalkeeper Emil Nielsen produced once again a clinical performance, saving 10 shots in the first half, where Barcelona had a 20:16 lead, after yet another fast-paced match.

In a do-or-die situation, Füchse bounced back and Gidsel never missed any of his next eight shots, finishing the match as his team’s top scorer, while Lasse Andersson and Tim Freihofer both added seven goals.

But Füchse could never really rally the troops and mount a comeback which threatened Barcelona, with Frade (seven goals), Gomez and Blaz Janc (six goals each) scoring just enough to propel their side to a 37:34 win and yet another title in the European premium competition.

In total, Barcelona have 13 titles, including the one in 1991, when the competition was still named the European Champions Cup, and confirmed their status as one of the powerhouses of the continent, being the most decorated team in the Champions League, as well as in the IHF Men’s Club World Championship.

Barcelona’s centre back, Domen Makuc, was named the MVP of the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4, before he will also leave to THW Kiel, while coach Carlos Ortega won his ninth title, six as a player and three as a coach, all with Barcelona.

SC Magdeburg finished third, with a 32:26 win against Aalborg, while Mathias Gidsel was the top scorer of the season, with a stunning display of 161 goals.

Photo credit: EHF / Kolektiff