Málaga return to the throne at ebt Finals 2026

FINAL 
RED VELVET BHC BUDAPEST (HUN) VS F.F. Y DEPORTE CBMP CIUDAD DE MÁLAGA (ESP) 0:2 (20:22, 14:16)

• Fans in Trapani witnessed a battle between the two goalkeepers: Málaga's Sonora Solano and Red Velvet's Dalma Mátéfi were both absolutely unstoppable, making crucial saves and keeping their teams in contention throughout the match
• In the first set, Hungarians had everything in their hands, staying in the lead the whole set thanks to strong support from the posts, but the Spanish team staged a comeback with three minutes left, and it was Cayetana Martin Lopez who brought the first set to their side
• The two teams were neck and neck in the second set, with the battle going down to the wire
• The Spaniards were more creative in attack in the second part of the decisive set; Red Velvet missed their chance to equalise in the last seconds, and Solano had the final say once again
• Celia Garcia Sanchez (18 points) was the top scorer for the winning team, while Hanga Honig led Red Velvet with 14 points
• Dalma Mátéfi's brilliant performance in Trapani earned her a spot in the All-Star Team, alongside Martin Lopez who finished top of the scoring charts with 164 points

3/4 PLACEMENT MATCH
OVB BEACH GIRLS BHC (HUN) VS GRD LEÇA – LOVE TILES (POR) 2:0 (17:10, 20:19)

• OVB return to the podium: the 2014 champions concluded their successful campaign in Trapani with a win, which eased the disappointment of their semi-final loss to Red Velvet earlier in the day
• Led by the legendary Renáta Csiki, the Hungarian team made their mark halfway through the first set and dominated until the end
• Leça didn’t give up easily, bouncing back in the second set thanks to outstanding Sara Pinho, who finished the game with 18 points and was the second-best scorer of the tournament (133 points)
• Eventually, Sara Suto's golden goal decided the winners on court 1, sending OVB into delirium; after performing well at the Champions Cup a few months ago, they finally made it onto the podium, proving that they are back among the top beach handball clubs
• Leça, the 2025 runners-up at the Champions Cup, had a great run throughout the tournament but fell short in the crucial matches, losing the semi-finals to Málaga and the last match to OVB
• The placement matches determined the final ranking, which can be found here

Photos: Joe Pappalardo