Melsungen win first trophy in club history

After SC Magdeburg, Füchse Berlin and SG Flensburg-Handewitt twice, Melsungen are the fourth German club to win the EHF European League. After 27 saves in two matches, Nebojsa Simić was awarded MVP of the Winamax EHF Finals.

FINAL

THW Kiel (GER) vs MT Melsungen (GER) 23:24 (12:13)

H2H: 2-1-0
Top scorers: Lukas Zerbe (THW Kiel) 5/6, Dainis Kristopans (MT Melsungen) 4/5

• the first half was a fiery and equal battle, with full intensity and tough in defence. Kiel had a light advantage in the first 20 minutes, then Melsungen struck back
• as Nebojsa Simić became a factor with some spectacular saves, Melsungen turned a 7:9 deficit into a 12:11 advantage in minute 26, and kept this margin to the half-time buzzer
• on the other side, Andreas Wolff was replaced by Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas after 20 minutes and only one save – and the Spaniard impressed after the break with three saves in a row
• still, both defence sides were fighting hard for every centimetre, the attackers had to struggle hard for every shot, as there simply was no gap
• both sides only scored four goals each in the first 15 minutes of the second half, including two penalty goals – Pérez de Vargas and Simić still showed their masterclass
• several times, Kiel levelled the score having been down by two, like at 21:21 in minute 55, but Melsungen did not allow them to take the lead, always getting ahead again
• two minutes before the end, Simić was on fire, first saving two shots in a row, then a penalty of Lukas Zerbe, making the red-dressed MT fans jump for joy
• with 55 seconds left, Kiel managed to level the result again for 23:23 by Lukas Laube, as Melsungen had failed to score before
• after David Mandić netted for the 24:23, Kiel’s last chance was a direct free throw, but they failed against the MT wall

Parrondo’s defence tactics and a perfect weekend bring Melsungen the trophy

When MT Melsungen received the trophy and the gold medals from the EHF Executive Committee members Stefan Lovgren and Bozidar Djurkovic, their dream had come true. Last year, they lost in the semi-finals against eventual winners SG Flensburg-Handewitt after overtime; this year, they first took revenge against Flensburg in the semi, then beat THW Kiel thanks to an incredible defence performance. MT managed to stop Kiel’s attack, or Nebojsa Simić stood in THW’s way.

As also Kiel had a rock-solid defence, the final was a low scoring. Parrondo’s classic Spanish tactics to count on defence first, was the key to success in front of 12,200 fans. In the 2025/26 play-offs, Melsungen had been close to elimination against Fredericia Håndboldklub, then narrowly won their quarter-final against FC Porto, and ultimately followed up with a perfect weekend at the Winamax EHF Finals 2026. And, maybe, Sunday's prize brings them an extra bonus: If Füchse Berlin do not win the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026, Melsungen will be playing in the EHF Champions League in the upcoming season.

all photos © 2026 kolektiff