Winamax EHF Finals 2026 flash quotes: 31 May

European Handball Federation

31 May 2026, 17:30

HAMBURG — Comments from players and coaches at the Winamax EHF Finals 2026 on Sunday after SG Flensburg-Handewitt beat Montpellier Handball 32:30 (16:16 in the third-place match.

SG Flensburg-Handewitt

Aleš Pajovic (SLO) – head coach

On the match and the Winamax EHF Finals:

“We wanted to win the title, but it did not work. We were really disappointed yesterday and so it was not easy to motivate the team for a third place match, as it brings you nothing. We showed character, we showed fighting spirit, and I am happy to go home with a win. This tournament offered us a possibility to play Champions League next season, so this is double disappointment. But this is sport. We have to learn from that. We had a good season, but the last three games went down, I hope to do the next season much, much better.”

On losing three matches in a row (two in domestic league, and the semi-final):

“It is hard to find an answer. We had a good run until the league match against Magdeburg, we lost it unluckily. We were exhausted, After three defeats in tahe row, now we made a small step ahead by winning today.”

On his future as Flensburg coach:

“I still have a contract for one more season, but you saw in Berlin that you can lose your job even when you become German champion and reach the Champions League final. But my plan is to remain coach in Flensburg for the next season.”

Kevin Møller (DEN) – goalkeeper

On the third place match:

"We were one day too late. This is sport, at a tournament like this you have to be on 100 per cent on both days. We deserved to miss the final, today we deserved to win and we carry some medals home. I hate to lose, this is why it is fine for me to finish with bronze. We had worked hard the whole year to fight for the trophy here, but we did not manage to do so.”

Lasse Møller (DEN) – left back

On beating Montpellier for the third place:

“This victory was really important for us, not only to show the fans a different face than yesterday. It was hard to play for both teams. We wanted to have a positive end of this tournament. We want to win every match, this is our job. So we are happy that we did the job.”

Montpellier Handball

Érick Mathé (FRA) – head coach

On losing the third place match:

"Like Flensburg, we are disappointed when you play for the third place. We were so close to qualify for the final, but it is a great honour to be present at the EHF Finals. Both teams showed a good match.”

On the chances in the French league:

“We have the last two matches ahead, ideally, we win them both. We have the fate in our hands to finish third and it is still possible to play Champions League next season. Right now, we switch our focus on those two games.”

On the Diego Simonet’s end of career:

“He was injured yesterday, we want to have him in the position to play the last two matches in the league. Diego played many, many years in Montpellier, highlighted by the Champions League title in 2018, when he was MVP. It has always been a pleasure to train him. Diego always has a smile on his face, even when he is injured. We want give him a great farewell to the end of career next week.”

Rogerio Moraes (BRA) – line player

On the reasons for the defeat:

“Like in the semi-final, small things made the difference. We had many turnovers, we had some problems in attack. Flensburg have a strong defence with tall guys in the middle. When we got tired, it was hard to find solutions in attack. It was a very close game, it is hard to play such two tough matches in two days, as you cannot recover, especially when you lose a semi-final by one goal. Our fans came by bus from Montpellier, and I think they were happy with our performance today.”

Valentin Portes (FRA) – right back

On the match against Flensburg:

“Flensburg were not playing that good yesterday, I don’t know why. Today, they played much better. They had a better pace than us. We tried like yesterday, it was close, but we did not win."

On the upcoming matches in the French league:

“We have two more games at home, we need to win both to remain in the race for a Champions League spot. I hope, we managed to do so.”