Eleven years after Larvik HK became the first Norwegian team to win the DELO EHF Champions League, Vipers Kristiansand repeated the success, completing a superb journey to lift the trophy for the first time.

With the top four teams in Europe fighting for the silverware this past weekend in Budapest in the DELO EHF FINAL4, Vipers sealed two comprehensive wins to secure their first-ever international trophy, three years after finishing third in the competition.

With the MVP of the DELO EHF FINAL4, left back Henny Reistad, in superb form, Vipers were flawless in Budapest’s Papp Laszlo Sportarena, taking a 33:30 win in the semi-final against CSKA on Saturday and winning the final against Brest Bretagne Handball 34:28 on Sunday.

Big favourites Győri Audi ETO KC conceded an astonishing loss in the semi-final – 25:27 after penalties against Brest – as their 55-game unbeaten streak, which spanned over three years and four months, was stopped in its tracks.

WATCH: ? It was a penalty shoot-out for the history books as @BBH_Officiel and @audietokc_gyor battled for a place in the #ehffinal4 final ?#showtimefordeloehffinal4 pic.twitter.com/qvSTKUqbxe

— EHF Champions League (@ehfcl) May 29, 2021

It was a roller-coaster of a season for Ole Gustav Gjekstad’s side, who played only three of their 17 games this season on their home court due to the health measures put in place by the Norwegian government against the COVID-19 pandemic.

After an unbeaten start in their first seven games of the season, Vipers were forced to play home games in Hungary and Slovenia and slipped to fifth place in the standings at the end of the group phase.

However, they bounced back in the play-offs against Odense Håndbold and in the quarter-finals against Russian powerhouse Rostov-Don to claim their stake for the trophy.

As Reistad scored 22 goals over the weekend in Budapest and goalkeeper Katrine Lunde adding 27 saves against CSKA and Brest, Vipers proved to be unstoppable, especially in attack, as they hit the right stride when it mattered the most.

Lunde, 41, confirmed her status as one of the most decorated players ever, winning her fifth DELO EHF Champions League, adding to one IHF Women’s World Championship title, two Olympic Games gold medals and five EHF EURO trophies.

Back Nora Mork and line player Heidi Loke also won the DELO EHF Champions League for the fifth time, tying Győr’s Anita Görbicz and Eduarda Amorim, only one trophy shy of Bojana Popovic’s record of six titles.

In the space of two weeks, Vipers secured a historic treble, also winning the Norwegian league and the Norwegian Cup, a feature only achieved by Larvik HK in 2011.

“It was amazing. The whole team fought the whole match and we just showed that we really wanted this trophy and I am so glad that we made it in the end. It is perfect,” said Reistad, who won her second international trophy in the last six months, after securing the gold medal with Norway at the EHF EURO 2020.

In their first-ever European final, Brest could not bounce back after a weak start that saw them lag behind Vipers, 3:8. The French side cut the gap to four goals at the break, 14:18, but the energy spent in the semi-final against Győr was their undoing, conceding a painful 28:34 loss.

It was, however, Brest’s best result in the history of the competition, as coach Laurent Bezeau and the top scorer of the competition, Slovenian right back Ana Gros, will leave at the end of the season.

In the 3/4 placement match, Győr gave their fans something to cheer about, securing a comprehensive 32:21 win against CSKA, one of their clearest of the season.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Győri Audi ETO KC (@gyoriaudietokc_official)

The game signalled the end of an era for the Hungarian side, as centre back Anita Görbicz will switch from player to sporting director, while Brazilian back Eduarda Amorim leaves for Rostov-Don. 

For more information about the DELO EHF Champions League, visit the official website.

Photos: Uroš Hočevar, Anikó Kovács/EHF