German side SC Magdeburg completed a superb season in the inaugural EHF European League Men to lift their first international trophy in 14 years this past Sunday.

Winning 15 of the 16 games this season, Magdeburg added their 10th European trophy to their cabinet, winning the second-tier competition of the European pyramid for the fourth time in the last 22 years.

The EHF Finals Men 2021, hosted by Rhein-Neckar Löwen in the SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany, featured three German sides – SC Magdeburg, Rhein-Neckar Löwen and Füchse Berlin – and one Polish side, Orlen Wisla Plock.

Although Magdeburg finished on top, it was not a walk in the park for Bennet Wiegert’s side.

They first endured a sturdy challenge from Plock, who led by as many as three goals in the semi-final (15:12), only to see Magdeburg turn the tables and enjoy a 22:19 lead themselves.

With Hungarian left back Zoltan Szita in fine form, scoring seven goals, Plock managed to weather the storm, but Norwegian line player Magnus Gullerud scored two crucial goals for Magdeburg to lift them to a 30:29 win.

In the other semi-final, hosts Löwen lost for the fifth time in six games against their domestic rivals Füchse Berlin, in a 35:32 shoot-out.

World champion Lasse Andersson had a majestic game against Löwen, scoring 11 times, as fellow Dane and world champion Jacob Holm added six in Füchse’s convincing win.

However, Füchse’s fitness was slim after such a tough game, with the final against Magdeburg coming early on Sunday.

It was a handball masterclass from Magdeburg, who jumped to an early 3:0 lead, which ballooned to 15:8 at the break, thanks to some impressive saves from Danish goalkeeper Jannick Green.

Green was also named the MVP of the EHF Finals 2021, with 17 saves in the final after a quiet evening in the game against Plock, where he only stopped one shot.

With Magdeburg’s top scorer, Icelandic back Omar Ingi Magnusson, adding seven goals, Magdeburg seemed to be unstoppable, sealing a comfortable 28:25 win on their way to winning the second-tier competition of the European pyramid for the fourth time, after lifting the trophy in 1999, 2001 and 2007.

Magdeburg tie with Frisch auf Göppingen and THW Kiel for the most wins in the competition, as a German team sealed the trophy for the 16th time in the last 17 editions.

Hosts Löwen clinched third place, on the back of an 11-goal outing from Swedish left wing Jerry Tollbring, by taking a 32:27 win against Orlen Wisla Plock.

? What a night in Mannheim... ? #ehffinals pic.twitter.com/amwQ4J1pJ1

— EHF European League (@ehfel_official) May 23, 2021

For more information about the competition, visit the EHF European League Men website.

Photos: Franzi Gora