Fuchse Berlin is the first finalist of the Champions League in men's handball. The formation from the capital of Germany won the duel with Magdeburg, score 40-35, in the first semifinal of the Final Four tournament in Cologne and will fight for the trophy on Sunday.
Fuchse Berlin will find out their opponent tonight, after the clash between Aalborg and Barcelona, scheduled from 19:00.
Fuchse Berlin prevailed in the German duel with Magdeburg
Magdeburg and Fuchse Berlin are the teams that have dominated German handball in recent years. They shared their previous two titles and were finalists of the last edition of the Champions League.
The matchups between them are always stellar. Today, we add the perfect setting, the home of European men's handball, the Lanxess Arena in Cologne. And the result is the match that makes you fall in love with handball.
An offensive recital where the goalkeepers were just spectators. The average of one goal per minute was shattered again “foxes” were leading at halftime with 19-17. For Magdeburg, another problem arose. Mathias Gidsel, the best player on the planet, came to life in the second half.
Masterclass from Mathias Gidsel today? 😱🔥#ehffinal4 #ehfcl #clm #handball pic.twitter.com/lUtigD8dxF
— EHF Champions League (@ehfcl) June 13, 2026
Three consecutive exceptional races and the gap remained constant in favor of last year's silver medalist. The 44th minute brought the equalizer, from 8 meters, a perfect throw by Omar Igni Magnússon. An improbable 29-29 by the total number of successes.
Another 5 minutes followed in which the goal did not help Fuche and Magdeburg continued to score at every action. The inevitable proposed itself and prevailed. Just that Dejan Milosavljev it came out on the ramp exactly when it was supposed to.
Two extraordinary parades overturned the calculations of the semi-final once again. The same Milosavljev calmed the end. He put his face to the fight, defended and took out a two-minute elimination in the opposing camp.
Immediately, the band from Berlin scored 4 goals. There were 3 minutes left, not enough time for miracles. Another blocked ball, Gidsel empty in a lane seen only by geniuses. And it was clear, we will have a new winner of the Champions League!
FINAL » SC Magdeburg – Fuchse Berlin 35-40
Min. 60: Final match in Koln! Fuchse Berlin prevails in the German semi-final with Magdeburg, score 40-35, and obtains qualification for the Champions League final
Min. 57: Taking advantage of the numerical superiority, Fuchse Berlin breaks away with a four-goal difference and is getting closer to qualifying for the Champions League final. With only four minutes left in the game, Magdeburg's mission becomes extremely difficult.
Min. 54: Spectacular successful throw by Andersson! Fuchse Berlin breaks away again with a two goal difference and enters the final six minutes of the semi-final with an important advantage.
Min. 48: Teigum scores from the wing and the semi-final continues to be extremely balanced. The fight for a place in the final remains wide open.
Min. 43: Recital of goals and in the second half! No less than four goals were scored in the last minute, and Freihofer manages a spectacular execution for Fuchse Berlin.
Min. 41: Very nice action from Magdeburg, completed by Saugstrup
Min. 40: Fuchse Berlin is two goals behind again after Magdeburg managed to get back on the table
Min. 31: Nils Lichtlein increases the gap for Fuchse Berlin, score 20-17
Break: Fuchse Berlin takes the advantage in the cabins, score 19-17
Min. 24: Tim Freihofer restores the two-goal gap in favor of Fuchse Berlin, score 15-13
Min 18: Mathias Gidsel makes it 13-10 in favor of Fuchse Berlin
Min 12: Nils Lichtlein makes it 6-5 in favor of Fuchse Berlin
Min. 6: Madgeburg restores the tie at 2 through Omar Ingi Magnusson
Aalborg – Barcelona » Second semi-final, 19:00
Aalborg qualified for the 3rd time in the F4, and in the previous two participations they lost the final each time against Barcelona.
This season, the Danish champion, coached by the young Simon Dahl (35 years old), ranked 2nd in the group, and in the quarter-finals, they were defeated by Sporting Lisbon with the overall score of 68-67.
Aalborg coach Simon Dahl: “There are no favourites!”
“Barcelona is a very dangerous team. Everything has already been said about them, I won't tell you anything new. They have a lot of experience; a lot of talent in every position. They have the record for the most titles won, and that's not by chance. But in Cologne, everyone has their chances. There are no favorites“, said coach Simon Dahl.
A possible first “7” for Aalborg: Landin, Blonz, Sagosen, Arnoldsen, Hoxer, Bjornsen, Hald.
Barcelona coach Carlos Ortega: “Everyone is motivated to win!”
Barcelona qualified for the 14th time in the Final Four, a format that has been running since the 2009-2010 season.
The Catalan team has won the competition 12 times, the last time in 2024, after the final with Aalborg, score 31-30.
In this season's Champions League, Barcelona won their group with 13 wins and one loss, and in the quarter-finals they got past Nantes 63-51.
For today's semi-final with Aalborg, bookmakers favor Barcelona at odds of 1.42-1.48, while the Danish champions are priced at 3.60-3.85.
“We had a great season. We only lost one game, against Magdeburg, so it seems logical to be here. But we worked a lot. There were a lot of changes last summer and we had to build more combinations between us to make things work.
Carlos Ortega, Barcelona coach/ Photo: Instagram
Aalborg is a very dangerous team – a team that is able to score a lot of goals and play very fast. It also has a good batch with many different options. But I am confident. I know we prepared well for this game. Everyone is very motivated to win the Champions League again“, said the coach of Barcelona, Carlos Ortega.
A probable first “7” for Barcelona: Nielsen, Fernandez, N'Guesaan, Markuc, Mem, Gomez, Fabregas.
