- in the quarter-final, Gran Canaria faced another Spanish team, KH-7 BM. Granollers, and after losing the first leg 30:20, they made a fantastic comeback, taking a 32:20 victory
- with a tally of 51 goals, Elche's left back Danila So Delgado Pinto is joint top scorer of the competition alongside Ana Marija Kolarovska, whose team HC Gjorce Petrov-WHC Skopje is out of contention
- it was Elche who eliminated Skopje in the quarter-final, winning 73:39 on aggregate
- in the second semi-final match on Sunday, MKS IUVENTA Michalovce will face Sport Lisboa e Benfica at home in Slovakia
- Michalovce defeated Cabooter HandbaL Venlo from Netherlands in the quarter-final, while Sport Lisboa e Benfica proved too strong for their Turkish rivals Armada Praxis Yalikavaspor
Four teams full of ambitions
In the past decade, Gran Canaria won the third-tier European club competition three times: the Challenge Cup in 2016 and 2019 and the European Cup in 2022. The timeline suggests that their next success should come in in 2025, but the Spanish team are determined to add another title to their collection already this year.
In turn, both Elche and Michalovce reached the European Cup semi-final last season, but lost at that stage, so they hope to make a step forward. And Benfica have never played in the semi-final of a European competition before, but they are eager to continue writing history.
Photo © HC Gjorce Petrov-WHC Skopje
