SUMMARY: Fabulous Flensburg triumph ends captivating season
The fourth season of the EHF European League Men ended Sunday evening when SG Flensburg-Handewitt defeated defending champions Füchse Berlin 36:31 in the final at the EHF Finals Men 2024 at Barclays Arena in Hamburg to win their first international trophy in 10 years. In the afternoon, Rhein-Neckar Löwen secured the third place after beating Dinamo Bucuresti 32:31 in an entertaining duel.
20:30
Here ends our coverage of the EHF Finals Men 2024. The Barclays Arena is quiet again and now being emptied and cleaned after a fantastic event, a worthy closure of the EHF European League 2023/24 season. The competition gets another big-name winner with SG Flensburg-Handewitt.
So the EHF European League season is over, but the continental club season certainly isn't finished yet. Next week (1/2 June) we travel to Budapest for the EHF FINAL4 Women 2024, and the week after (8/9 June) Cologne is our destination again for the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2024.
It was a memorable event here in Hamburg, so we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Thanks for joining us here on the live blog, see you soon, and for now it is:
Gute Nacht aus Hamburg!
20:26
Because we never get enough of celebrations in handball, here is footage of the MVP (Emil Jakobsen), top scorer (Andrii Akimenko), and EHF European League (Flenbsburg) trophy handovers:
20:18
The highlights from the highlight match, here they are:
20:06
It kept us all on the edge of our seat for the full 60 minutes, now read all what happened in the final between Flensburg and Füchse in the final review by EHF journalist Björn Pazen:
18:41 HALF-TIME | Flensburg vs Füchse 15:14
Pffff, time to take a deep breath! An electrifying first half with two teams going all-in, and Flensburg going to the dressing rooms with a minimal advantage over Füchse, 15:14. Most spotlights in the first half have been on Mathias Gidsel, who leads with five goals scored but in some moments leaves the impression he is almost over-motivated for this clash.
Great stuff, and more to come!
18:38
Wherever you are in Europe, if you have been hearing a loud bonk-bonk-bonk since six o'clock, I might have found the source. What an atmosphere here in Hamburg, so fitting for this great competition!
18:33
Five minutes left until the break and we are tied at 12 all. This final has written all over it that it might go right down to the wire. Too much quality and class on court to see one of the sides collapse here.
18:18
An intense battle going on, and Füchse keep their nose in front for now, 7:6 after 16 minutes. But right now, Mathias Gidsel is sent off for two minutes... A bit of frustration in his rough tackle on Emil Jakobsen, as Gidsel with one goal from four attempts has not really had the start into the final he wished for.
18:13
Füchse with the early advantage, going 5:3 up in the first 11 minutes. A high-pace final, full of intensity and emotions, and an arena that is vibrating. What a final!
18:05
Blistering start into this final for Füchse, who score three in a row to lead 3:1 within four minutes.
17:56
We are ready to go, one more match this EHF European League season... Flensburg and Füchse will lock horns for that coveted trophy!
If you are not cheering here in the arena, watch this big final live on EHFTV or the local broadcaster in your region.
17:52
The final is about to start, but take a moment to read the comments from EHF President Michael Wiederer, who shares his opinion on the first EHF Finals Men held in Hamburg:
You can't expect more from a premiere. It was the first time in a new arena and the image that's given here is very positive. As far as the audience response is concerned, I look back at the EHF FINAL4 in Cologne: We also started from 0 to 100 in a large hall, and in the first year it was an incredible fight to get the spectators into the arena. We assume that we will also be in Hamburg next year for the EHF Finals; discussions with all partners are already underway. We are moving forward cautiously but our goal is to stay for the long term.
- it is the fifth all-German final since the second-tier competition ends with a final tournament (2013) – and Füchse Berlin have been part of all five, but lost three of the previous four
- overall since the start of European club competitions in 1993, this is the ninth all-German final at this level; the trophy went to a team from Germany 18 times in the last 20 seasons played
- Berlin can become the first team to win the EHF European League two years in a row, and the first since Frisch Auf Göppingen in 2017 to successfully defend the title at this level
- SG Flensburg-Handewitt and Füchse have not met before in an international match; in the domestic league, Füchse won the home match 32:31 and they tied 31:31 in Flensburg this season; Flensburg won their duel in the third-place match of the German cup competition
- Berlin defeated Löwen 33:24 in the semi-finals – the biggest win in the history of the EHF Finals (since 2020/21) – and Flensburg downed Dinamo 38:32
- Danish players were decisive for both teams in the semi-finals: Emil Jakobsen scored 11 goals, Johan Hansen nine, and Simon Pytlick six for Flensburg; Mathias Gidsel and Lasse Andersson both netted seven times for Füchse
- also, the goalkeepers were a key factor in the semi-finals: Füchse’s Dejan Milosavljev had 13 saves, Flensburg’s Kevin Møller 11
- Hans Lindberg plays his last international match for Füchse before the 42-year-old right wing returns to his native Denmark; he previously won the EHF Champions League (with HSV), the EHF Cup and EHF European League (with Füchse)
- Flensburg, already the only club that has won four different EHF club competitions in the past, can win their fifth different trophy
17:29
Want to hear want coaches and players have said in the mixed zone and press conference? Check out our flash quotes service, intended for journalists who cover the event, but hey, it is not forbidden to read along if you are not a journalist.
17:13
Before we fully focus on the big final, here is the match review for Löwen against Dinamo, written by EHF journalist Björn Pazen:
At the end they kept fighting and fighting and we made some mistakes. But we are just happy, we played a lot better than yesterday. Today was still not our best match, but a lot better.
16:34
No time to waste, as the players line up on court and receive their medals right away. Great match from both teams, more than a promising appetiser for the big final starting in just over 80 minutes.
16:28 RESULT | Dinamo vs Löwen 31:32 (15:18)
Ohhhh, Aleksandar Cenic hits the post in Dinamo's very last opportunity as Löwen hold on to a narrow one-goal lead, winning the third place match 32:31. What a thrilling a finish to this match.
Congrats to Löwen, as the top 3 of the EHF European League Men is an all-German affair this season!
16:24
Just over two minutes left and Dinamo are suddenly back within one again, 31:30. What a game!
16:19
Well, Lazar Kukic has just returned to the arena. But can he make enough of a difference? Dinamo are trailing by five (31:26) with six minutes left to play...
16:15
Things won't get easier for Dinamo, as Lazar Kukic has left the court, accompanied by medics, with an apparent shoulder injury.
16:09
A similar picture as in the first half, with Dinamo edging closer to Löwen but then letting them go ahead again. We are 16 minutes into the second half and Löwen are four ahead, 27:23.
15:59
Dinamo could have been in deeper trouble against Löwen if it wasn't for Vladimir Cupara:
15:49
OK, we are running again! Remember, if the score should be equal after 60 minutes, this match goes into a shootout straight away, so no overtime will be played.
15:47
A VIP on the court during the break: Alfred Gislason has come down from the stands for a brief interview. The head coach of the Germany men's national team enjoys his visit to the Barclays Arena: "It is a very nice tournament, an event with a huge number of fans. I will not predict, which teams will win the final, I'd rather be looking forward to a great handball tournament."
According to Gislason, "Flensburg were the best team yesterday, but Berlin never were endangered on their way to the final, so the final pairing is deserved."
While he is not here for tactical analysis, Gislason still has some worries: "I hope that no national player gets injured."
15:43
This is a typical scene for the first half, where Dinamo have not used every opportunity and Löwen make them pay right away.
12:12
Flensburg or Füchse? Füchse or Flensburg? Who takes home this year's trophy of the EHF European League Men? All I can reveal is that the dress rehearsal for the awards ceremony is currently going on in the arena, and that organisers are testing the trophy procedure while pretending that Füchse were the new (and old, of course) champions.
But, in fairness, they say this is just for practice purposes.
12:00
Guten Morgen aus Hamburg!
We are back at Barclays Arena one more time this weekend as the EHF Finals Men 2024 come to a close with the crowning of the EHF European League 2023/24 champions in about some eight hours from now. So, welcome to the live blog covering the third-place match and the final!
I am already sitting courtside and if you want to join me and all the thousands of fans coming again to this beautiful arena today, please do so! We still have some day tickets left for you:
