Spanish and Romanian celebration

The men’s handball season has come to an end in three competitions over the weekend. The EHF Cup Final will be played on Monday, 1 June 2009 in Cologne at 18:30hrs.

Men’s EHF Champions League – Spanish fiesta/1

BM Ciudad Real has retained its crown as the King in European club handball after an explosive finish to the season that was played out in front of a full house, over 5,000 spectators in Ciudad Real. With the support on home turf, and with a 5-goal disadvantage, this match may have been the most challenging that BM Ciudad Real has played so far. However, with history on their side, they defeated THW Kiel in the Quijote Arena by 33:27 and the trophy was theirs with an aggregate win of 67:66. Ciudad Real seemed in an impossible position until the very last minutes of the game, but with the help of their goalkeeper Sterbik and a superb Stefansson in attack, the fans of the visiting German team could only watch helplessly as their team floundered as their title dreams slipped away once again at the hands of their toughest opponent.

Despite the defeat and scoring only one goal in Spain, the Czech Filip Jicha of THW Kiel has earned the top scorer title in the 2008/2009 season by notching up 99 goals.

EHF Men’s Cup Winners Cup – Spanish fiesta/2

Whipping the crowd in to an excitable frenzy with their performance, Pevafersa Valladolid kept the Cup Winners’ Cup in Spain. After a match with one thrill after another, even though HSG Nordhorn kept up the pace throughout the match, in the end, Pevafersa Valladolid defeated the German team with one goal. The 24:23 home victory meant an 54:54 aggregate result, but due to scoring more goals away, Valladolid could celebrate the title.

EHF Men’s Challenge Cup – UCM Sport Resita retain their title

During the first leg in Resita the home crowd put too much pressure on their team. CSU Suceava used their chances and won by 27:25 away. However, it was not enough to take their first European trophy. Instead, UCM Sport Resita successfully defended their title with a great second leg performance and a 25:20 away victory. With this success Resita gain their third consecutive Challenge Cup title, which is unique recognition for the Romanian team.

Men’s EHF Cup – VfL Gummersbach vs RK Gorenje at 18:30hrs

After 26 years of waiting, VfL Gummersbach will get the chance to win a European Cup title again. The Germans will host RK Gorenje in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne. Though Gummersbach won the first leg away by 29:28, the new Slovenian champions will try to fight back and make it as difficult as possible for the hosts.

If you do not have the chance to visit the splendid Lanxess Arena for the EHF Cup Final, you can still watch the game live on DSF, RTV Slovenija 2, Sport.ro, Al Jazeera and online on ehfTV.com!