Füchse Berlin (Germany) won a dramatic come-from-behind victory after a bloody battle with Hungarian powerhouse One Veszprém HC to win a ticket to the semifinals of the European Handball Federation (EHF) Champions League.
Berlin won 31-30 regular time against Vesprem in the second leg of the 2025/26 Machineseeker EHF Men’s Handball Champions League quarterfinals at Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin, Germany on the 6th (local time).
The two teams, which tied 65-65 in total in the first round, entered the game, and Berlin won the final score 35-33 (total 69-68) to confirm their advance to the FINAL4 in Cologne, Germany.
사진 확대 Photo by 2025/26 Makhineseeker EHF Men’s Handball Champions League semi-finals Berlin
The early stages of the game were overwhelming for Berlin. Berlin led 8-3 in 10 minutes with a solid defense and a high attack success rate, and at one point seemed to gain the victory by widening the score to 6 points by 17-11.
However, the trend changed rapidly after the injury of Vesprem center back Luka Cindricé and the departure of Berlin’s Miajlo Marsenicé. Vesprem, led by head coach Xavi Pascual, tied the game 17-17 with a frightening concentration, and the game went into a close game that was an inch away.
At the end of the second half, Vesprem’s Ahmed Adel scored a 29-29 equalizer, and Vesprem seemed to have an advantage. However, Berlin’s gatekeeper Dejan Milosavljev blocked the opponent’s decisive 7m draw, and Tobias øndahl scored and Berlin took the lead again. With 40 seconds left in the game, Besprem’s Ahmed Hesham scored an equalizer, and the game eventually led to a game of fate.
Berlin goalkeeper Milosavliev once again became a hero in the game-tossing. He blocked his opponent’s shot twice, and Mathias Gidsel, the last runner, calmly shook the net to end the long journey.
Matthias Gisele told the European Handball Federation: “It was the first time I’ve thrown a game in my career, it was a really important moment. The two games were like a huge promotional video for a sport called handball. Vesprem is also a great team that deserves to go to Cologne. I’m proud to win, but I’m very honored to be part of such a wonderful game.”
Vesprem center back Yehia Elderaa said, “We became athletes to play these games. Everyone fought with their soul on the court for their colleagues. “The cruel thing about sports is that in the end, a team has to drop, but I think these games really showed who we are.”
Berlin won a ticket to Cologne for the second consecutive year and succeeded in advancing to the “Final 4” for the third time in its career. On the other hand, Vesprem had to accept the disappointing result of being eliminated from the quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive time. The long-awaited ‘EHF Final 4’ match draw will be held on the 12th.
[Kim Yongpil, MK Sports Reporter]