TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026 flash quotes: Sunday 14 June
COLOGNE — Comments from players and coaches after the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2025/26 finals at the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2026 on Sunday.
3/4 PLACEMENT MATCH
Aalborg Håndbold (DEN) vs SC Magdeburg (GER) 26:32 (11:17)
SC Magdeburg
Bennet Wiegert (GER) — head coach
On his impression of the weekend:
“Yesterday was frustrating. It was difficult to manage directly after and to find the right words. But we found our way today. I am really proud of the way we played today, and that the season ends with a victory. It feels good. I know how difficult it is to win here. Now the season is over and a new one is going to start really soon. Wish all the best to Simon. You do a fantastic job, trust me. I really hope to see you again sometime soon.”
Lukas Mertens (GER) — left wing
On finishing third:
“Of course, this is not what we wanted when we arrived here. You always aim for the title. But we have to be realistic. The four best teams in Europe are here this weekend and everything is played on details. We might have missed a few yesterday and this is why we played so early today. But, in the meantime, I am happy because we managed to get our act together and give a good performance today.”
On what made the difference in the game:
“I don’t know. Maybe we had recovered better in the head compared to them, and we started better. Our defence was good in the first half and once you are ahead in that game, you often take the upper hand. It was not easy but we bounced back really good after the defeat from yesterday.”
Tim Hornke (GER) — right wing
On the victory:
“I am happy we managed to win today. We gave a good game. It’s not easy to focus again when you have lost the day before but, at the end, a medal is a medal and it’s important to finish the season on a win. It’s not the final, it’s not the title, but in the meantime, it’s still a win at the [EHF] FINAL4. So I am much happier today than I was yesterday.”
On playing his final game with the club:
“That was special, of course, but I made my decision a while ago. I did not think too much about it, and I am happy we managed to finish this game on top. I have lived some top moments and now is the time for another chapter of my life.”
Aalborg Håndbold
Simon Dahl (DEN) — head coach
On his impression of the season:
“Yesterday was really tough. We ended up very, very disappointed. I hoped we had put it away, but we had not. When we first got behind a couple of goals, we never got back in the game, SCM were just too good. Their win is totally deserved. We did travel to Cologne with a dream to win it all, now we are just disappointed.
"It’s been a long and good season. In the end, we finish with two defeats and we are really disappointed. Hopefully in a couple of days we can look back on the season and be proud. Aalborg has been on the way for a couple of years now. We still are, and our dream to win it all is still alive.”
Lukas Nilsson (SWE) — left back
On losing the 3/4 placement match:
“It’s tough to lose two games in a row but, honestly, today I think Magdeburg deserved their win. Yesterday we thought we had done everything right and we lost but I guess there is less frustration about today’s performance. This has been a disappointing weekend for us. We can’t leave Cologne being satisfied about our two games.”
On what Aalborg can take from those games into the future:
“That is tough to say right now. There is a lot of disappointment. We played a good season but we failed to deliver at the moment when it counted the most. It’s hard, but that’s the law of the sport. We will do everything to come back and play here again.”
On Kristian Björnsen playing his final game today:
“He is a real pro. He has had an amazing career, either with the national team or his clubs. It’s a pity that he goes after two losses. I have nothing but respect for him. He was one of the most experienced players in the squad and we will definitely miss him.”
Sander Sagosen (NOR) — left back
On losing the 3/4 placement match:
“We are not happy with the loss. We are not happy with how we played tonight. We missed a lot of things in the first half and then we were behind the whole time. No matter what we tried to do on the court, it seems like nothing was working. It is really frustrating for us.”
On the season Aalborg played overall:
“I think we played some very great games but also that we failed to deliver this weekend, so that makes it quite frustrating. I am sure there are things that we can take for this weekend to get better in the future.”
Rene Antonsen (DEN) — Line player
On his experience at the [EHF] FINAL4:
"I'm feeling really emotional right now. It's been a difficult weekend, and we were so close yesterday to making it through to the final. I gave my heart to this club and to our goals. It means so much to me to be a part of this team, especially during this weekend."
Juri Knorr (GER) — Centre back
On shifting focus to the 3/4 placement match:
"It takes a lot of preparation to get to the EHF FINAL4, and then having to shift our focus to the bronze game was really difficult last night. We weren't good enough yesterday in the end, and that was challenging to get over mentally."
Photos © kolektiff images
