Five talking points after quarter-final drama unfolds
Favourites have fallen, streaks were extended and individual performances saw players rise to new levels. It all happened over the last two weeks in the quarter-finals of the EHF Champions League Women with all eight matches played in front of sold-out arenas and a new team made the breakthrough.
FTC seal maiden EHF FINAL4 berth
Just how did they do it? Since the current format of the EHF Champions League was introduced in the 2013/14 season, FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria had four appearances in the quarter-finals and each time they were eliminated. This time, the Hungarian side were for the fifth time in this phase of the competition and their fate looked sealed after a 32:26 loss against Metz Handball on their home court in the first leg.
As Metz had seven wins in seven games at home this season in the group phase, it looked unfathomable that they were going to concede a seven-goal loss to lose their place in the EHF FINAL4. After the first 30 minutes of the second leg, the game was in a deadlock, 17:17, so even the more reason to see Metz as huge favourites to progress.
Yet here we are, with FTC sealing their first berth at the EHF FINAL4 after an otherworldly 33:26 win. Sometimes, handball cannot be explained and this is one of the cases, with the Hungarian side bouncing back in style, as goalkeeper Blanka Biro made some key saves, right wing Angela Malestein scored eight goals and everything worked exactly how the Hungarian side wanted it.
Now, FTC and their fans are preparing for the first appearance at the EHF FINAL4 and it will be exactly what they needed to spice up the competition. While their season has been a true roller-coaster, every team has its chance, as CSM Bucuresti proved in 2016, when they won the title after a hit-and-miss season.
CSM fall flat again
That era is long gone for CSM, who are now without an appearance to the EHF FINAL4 since 2018, five seasons in a row where they failed to make the final step. With the exception of the 2019/20 season, cancelled due to Covid-19, they were eliminated every time in the quarter-finals, to add to their plethora of disappointments, as something needs to be changed for the Romanian powerhouse.
They looked like a true favourite to secure the title early in the season, but as 2023 came, CSM faltered. Signs were ominous, especially in the win against Bietigheim, snatched in the final minutes, while the loss against Krim Mercator Ljubljana in the last game of the group phase sent them on a collision course with Team Esbjerg, the team that eliminated CSM in the quarter-finals last season.
This time around, it was not a one-goal difference on aggregate, CSM lost both games, to concede a 65:59 aggregate loss, which left them scratching their head. A four-goal loss in the first leg was the catalyst to Esbjerg’s win, as the Danish side constantly exploited CSM’s woes. The goalkeepers, who worked out wonders in the group phase, were not as clinical for CSM, while crucial players like Cristina Neagu and Emilie Hegh Arntzen, as well as Grace Zaadi, failed to rise to the occasion. Therefore, CSM have plenty of questions to answer, before they reshuffle the team this summer, strengthening it even further, with several transfers already confirmed.
Reistad reigns and sights set on a new milestone
For the first time in her career, the MVP of the EHF EURO 2022, Henny Reistad, is close to securing the top goal scorer title in the EHF Champions League Women, boasting a huge advantage at the top over her rivals. Reistad has been close to unstoppable this season, scoring 130 goals so far, an advantage of 12 goals over CSM’s left back, Cristina Neagu, who is out of contention. Only the third and the fourth place in this top, Vipers’ Marketa Jerabkova (107 goals) and FTC’s Katrin Klujber (106 goals) have a chance to dethrone Reistad, but it will need a mammoth effort.
Reistad, the MVP of the EHF FINAL4 in the 2020/21 season, when she became a champion with Vipers Kristiansand, has another record in her crosshair, needing only ten goals in the two matches she will feature in Budapest to become the all-time goal scorer of the EHF FINAL4. She is now on 48 goals in three appearances, only nine goals shy of the record held by Dutch centre back Nycke Groot. At only 24 years old, Reistad has plenty to show in her career from now on and has been nothing short of superb in her five seasons in the EHF Champions League Women, where she has 423 goals.
Can Vipers make the three-peat?
Only one team (Esbjerg) has won more games than Vipers Kristiansand, as the reigning champions have dominated once again the EHF Champions League Women. Before coach Ole Gustav Gjekstad bows out at the end of the season, with a major overhaul of the roster in the works, can Vipers add another title?
The Norwegian side clinched the first place in their group in the last round, with 11 wins and doubled down with an excellent 71:56 aggregate win against CS Rapid Bucuresti, sending the rookies crashing out of the competition with a dominating display, which saw Vipers score 40 goals in the second leg, on their way to the most lopsided doubleheader in the quarter-finals.
The addition of Anna Vyakhireva, who is looking for her first-ever trophy in the European premier competition, has been working seamlessly, as Vipers added another premium asset to their back line, with the reigning champions aiming to become the second team in history to secure a three-peat, three titles in a row.
Sold-out arenas all-round
This will be the first-ever EHF FINAL4 Women with two teams from the same country taking part, and it is only fitting that they are from Hungary, the country which has been hosting the business end of the competition in Budapest since its first edition in the 2013/14 season. As Györi Audi ETO KC are joined by FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria, the interest for the EHF FINAL4 will be through the roof, as fans from both sides will flock to the MVM Dome, in what promises to be an epic finale of the season.
It will only add to the excellent numbers provided by the EHF Champions League Women this season, as all eight quarter-finals games were sold out, with 29,564 fans coming to cheer for their favourites in the last two weeks, as the stands were full and the temperature rose in Bucharest, Odense, Györ, Kristiansand, Esbjerg, Budapest and Metz. Tickets are still available, but the expectation is to see all the 20.022 seats in the MVM Dome to be sold out.
We will discover the semi-final pairings at the draw event on Tuesday 9 May at 18:00 CEST in the Sport TV studio in the Hungarian capital.
