SUMMARY: Györ keep trophy as thrilling season ends in Budapest

• coverage of the final day at the EHF FINAL4 Women 2025 in Budapest
• +++ GYÖR ARE THE 2024/25 EHF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNERS +++
• final: Györi Audi ETO KC vs Odense Håndbold 29:27 -> review
• third-place match: Team Esbjerg vs Metz Handball 30:27 -> review
• individual awards:
  > MVP: Kari Brattset Dale (Györi Audi ETO KC)
  > top scorer: Henny Reistad (Team Esbjerg, 154 goals)
• watch highlights of the EHF FINAL4 matches on the Home of Handball YouTube channel
• follow the official EHF Champions League socials on Facebook, Instagram and X, and the Home of Handball TikTok and YouTube channels
• Eric Willemsen reported from Budapest; all images © kolektiff

Sunday 1 June

20:45

So, the EHF Champions League Women 2024/25 season ends here. We have witnessed two tantalising days of handball at the EHF FINAL4 Women 2025 in Budapest. In the end, the team which was the favourite for many from the start, indeed lifted the trophy again: Györi Audi ETO KC.

But Odense Håndbold, Team Esbjerg, and Metz Handball have all added to the memories that the season-ending event in Budapest has created once more.

Don't forget, we have the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2025 in Cologne coming up in two weeks' time, but for the women's topflight, this is it for 2024/25.

Thanks for following us all season and especially here at the EHF FINAL4. Hope to see you soon again and for now it is...

Viszontlátásra! Goodbye from Budapest!

20:30

What an intense final Györ and Odense have treated us with! Hard to pack it all into three minutes, but our cutter has managed to do so. Enjoy the highlights:

20:12

Read all about the big final in the review from EHF journalist Danijela Vekić:

20:06

Let's hear from Kari Brattset Dale, Györ's line player who crowns her third EHF Champions League title with winning the MVP award as well:

19:55

The fireworks set off in the MVM Dome after Kari Brattset Dale has received the trophy from EHF President Michael Wiederer. Györ have the trophy once again! A record even titles tell the whole story of this club, which has been adding an incredible piece of history to women's handball. Big congrats!

19:50

Onto the MVP of the EHF FINAL4 2025... a rock on the line, both in defence and attack, for Györ... it's Kari Brattset Dale!

19:49

There was any doubt before today who would ein the trophy, there was no doubt however who would become the top scorer. Henny Reistad has finished on an incredible 154 goals for Team Esbjerg this season. Just stunning!

19:46

The medal ceremony is in full swing here in MVM Dome. Good to see Odense are all smiles so shortly after the defeat. They have had a stunning season and staged another strong comeback in the final, but just came up short in what was their first-ever EHF FINAL4 appearance. Well done!

14:46

Let's throw off this last day of the EHF Champions League Women 2024/25 season with two teams playing attractive handball. Here is some preview info for you:

• this will be the third time these two teams meet in the 3/4 placement match at the EHF FINAL4 — Metz won in 2021/22, while Esbjerg claimed the bronze last season
• Metz line player Sarah Bouktit scored five goals in the semi-final, bringing her season tally to 101 goals; she needs nine more to surpass Elizabeth Omoregie into second place of the top scorers list
• Esbjerg are heading into their fourth 3/4 placement match and they have managed only one win in seven EHF FINAL4 games played in Budapest
• their opponents share the same win rate at the EHF FINAL4
• the 2020/21 MVP Henny Reistad has now scored 85 goals at the EHF FINAL4, and in the semi-final broke her own record for the most goals in a single season — her total now stands at 146 goals
• this will be the 11th EHF Champions League meeting between these two sides — Metz lead with five wins, Esbjerg have four, while one match ended in a draw back in 2020

14:33

Often dubbed the 'duel of the disappointed', Esbjerg and Metz still will want to finish their season on a high. Esbjerg have established themselves among the elite teams in Europe with their fourth straight visit to Budapest, while Metz had a near-perfect season with one draw and 15 wins... until Saturday's semi-final.

Here is a look at how close Esbjerg and Metz stack up against each other:

14:20

Esbjerg and Metz have arrived at MVM Dome and are on court, warming up for their duel for third place. Both teams have a lot experience of playing this kind of matches — more than would like to have, actually. On all four their visits to the EHF FINAL4, both the Danish and the French side lost the semi-final and had to play for the bronze.

13:39

Speaking of Katrine Lunde, she just keeps adding to her legacy at age 45. If she lifts the trophy with Odense tonight, she becomes the first player with eight EHF Champions League titles, and the oldest player ever, female or male, to win a European club trophy — and there is hardly anyone in the game you would be more happy for to reach such milestones.

Sitting behind the Odense bench at the semi-final against Metz, I saw her relaxed and smiling before the second half, then switching into game mode once she was on the court. Lunde was not standing still for a moment, even when Odense were in attack. I saw her dribbling left and right, forward and backward, getting herself into the zone. That focus and dedication paid off in the closing stages, as saves like this one helped Odense complete the unlikely comeback:

13:22

So many great storylines here at the EHF FINAL4... We could only pick two for you to feature on eurohandball.com this morning.

EHF journalist Danijela Vekić caught up with the Axnér family: Esbjerg head coach Tomas and Metz left back Tyra are the first father-daughter pair to appear at an EHF FINAL4 with different clubs — and now they are even playing against each other in the third-place match.

And I had the pleasure to shed light on the Norwegian connection at Danish finalists Odense, where legendary goalkeeper Katrine Lunde and head coach Ole Gustav Gjekstad play important roles in the club's successful season and first-ever appearance in an EHF Champions League final.

12:57

What a tremendous opening day of the EHF FINAL4 Women 2025 we saw Saturday, with two semi-finals that went down to the wire. Györ beat Esbjerg once again, but by a single goal (28:27), before Odense completed the final line-up with a breath-taking come-from-behind win over Metz in overtime (31:29).

And get prepared for more excitement today, as Metz and Esbjerg will want to show all they have got one more time, before Györ take on Odense in the big final for the big trophy — a big occasion!

12:20

Jó napot! Hello again from Budapest and welcome one more time to the live blog covering the EHF FINAL4 Women 2025 at MVM Dome.

We are going to crown the EHF Champions League 2024/25 winners tonight, when Györ and Odense go head-to-head for the title in a promising final at 18:00 CEST. Before that, Esbjerg and Metz are up against each other in the third-place match at 15:00 CEST.

Follow us on the live blog for updates throughout the day, and get ready for the games with this preview from EHF journalist Danijela Vekić: