Atletico Guardes and Antalya secure final berths
Both finalists of the EHF European Cup Women 2022/23 were determined after the second-leg semi-finals played this weekend.
In the Spanish derby, Club Balonmán Atletico Guardes again beat ATTICGO BM Elche, while the Turkish side Antalya Konyaalti BSK progressed despite a six-goal defeat against MKS IUVENTA Michalovce.
- on home court in Pontevedra, Atletico Guardes won 22:18 on Saturday, which helped them to celebrate a 45:40 victory on aggregate
- goalkeeper Marisol Carratu played a key role for Atletico, stopping 16 shots for an impressive 50 per cent save efficiency
- on Sunday, Slovakia's MKS IUVENTA Michalovce beat Antalya at home, 33:27, but the Turkish team won 58:57 on aggregate
- Martina Popovcova scored 13 goals for Michalovce, but her teammate Iryna Kompaniiets missed a crucial penalty with 10 seconds to go
- the final matches will be played on Saturday 29 April and Saturday 6 May. On Monday 27 March, the draw for the home right will take place
Both finalists making history
While the Spanish teams have been dominant in the women's third-tier European club competition in recent years, Atletico Guardes will play in the final for the first time. Two years ago, they reached the semi-final of the EHF European Cup Women, but lost against fellow Spanish side Rincon Fertilidad Malaga.
Antalya have also made history by progressing to the final during their maiden season in a European club competition. Now both teams are determined to take the last step and win the trophy, so the final matches should be exciting.
