SUMMARY: Magdeburg and Kielce reach final with thrilling wins
The TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2023 started Saturday with SC Magdeburg beating defending champions Barça 40:39 in a dramatic shootout of the first semi-final, and Barlinek Industria Kielce edging out Paris Saint-Germain Handball 25:24 for the second spot in Sunday's final.
21:10
Here ends our live blog coverage of the dramatic semi-final day of the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4. We are back again on Sunday morning when we build up to the medal matches.
For now, it is gute Nacht aus Köln from all of us here and we leave you with not only the traditional gallery from our fantastic kolektiff images team, but also this quote from Magdeburg's Gísli Kristjánsson, who was knocked out briefly following a collision with Tiagus Petrus in the closing minutes of the first semi-final, when Barça were leading...
20:29
The disadvantage of playing the second semi-final? As a coach, you have no chance to watch your upcoming final opponents as, during the first semi-final, you are in the middle of your own match preparations.
No wonder Kielce coach Talant Dujshebaev has seen nothing from Magdeburg's stunning victory that ended Barça's 25-match unbeaten streak earlier Saturday.
"I have not watched one second of the other semi-final. How did they play?," Dujshebaev said after Kielce's win over PSG. "We need to get to the hotel soon, I need to watch the game so we can sort out everything for tomorrow."
20:23
So, there we are: Magdeburg and Kielce will battle it out for the coveted EHF Champions League trophy tomorrow. For both teams, it would be there second title: Magdeburg won it back in 2002, Kielce more recently in 2016.
Our poll today can of course only have one question: who do you think will win the final in LANXESS arena on Sunday? Let us know below:
Such a big game, it was very good game. PSG are difficult to play but it is important that we win. We have to try to rest as much we can now and then do our best (in the final).
19:04
Let's hear again from EHF journalist Kevin Domas after the first half. Here are his thoughts after 30 minutes of PSG vs Kielce:
"PSG have been holding up so far, even though Kielce seem to have more tactical options in store. The game has been a very even one, with goalkeepers delivering a similar performance on both sides. And while Kielce had the momentum before the break, Paris could have the opportunity to put Elohim Prandi on the court. And that could well chance everything in the second half..."
18:57 HALF-TIME | PSG vs Kielce 14:16
Advantage Kielce. Two goals is nothing substantial, but they have led by two, and even three, earlier in the first half, with PSG hanging in there.
Alex Dujshebaev the best scorer so far with five goals; Luc Steins and Dainis Kristopans both on four for PSG.
18:53
Team timeout Kielce. They have opened the first three-goal lead, although briefly since Luc Steins replies immediately, in the last minute.
But Kielce sure to be ahead at the break. But we know from the previous match that this doesn't have to mean much...
18:46
Still all in the balance, 11:11 with just over seven minutes left in the first half. Neither team have been able to open a substantial gap, also thanks to some terrific goalkeeping:
18:39
A tough and intense match, but would you expect anything else from those two teams? Artsem Karalek was doubtful for this match, but he has removed all doubts regarding his fitness, netting four times in the opening 17 minutes.
PSG lead 9:8 at the moment; Kielce the only team to have been two goals up (7:5) so far.
18:35
"How to make the game look easy," a master class by Alex Dujshebaev:
18:23
The first six minutes of the second semi-final are over, and PSG and Kielce are locked on 2:2. Still very, very early but this feels like a match that could go all the way again...
18:00
After this start to the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2023, what to expect from the second semi-final – the semi-final most expected to be the closer one of the two.
Well, it can not get closer than between Magdeburg and Barça. PSG lead the all-time head-to-head 7:4, but for the last three seasons they met, each time the home team won.
And in Cologne? PSG and Kielce once met there, in the 2016 semi-final. It was their first encounter, and Kielce won it, and of course went on to lift the trophy that weekend, something PSG would love to do this weekend.
I am really proud of this team, this club. This atmosphere, these supporters, it is all really emoptional right now. This is a dream.
16:59 FULL-TIME | Magdeburg vs Barça 31:31 (16:18)
Extra time! Kay Smits finds the net in the closing five seconds to make it 31:31, and Michael Damgaard blocks a last-second effort from Blaz Janc to send this match into extra time.
What a start to this EHF FINAL4!
16:56
Last minute starts, and Aleix Gómez converts the rebound after Blaz Janc has effort saved. 31:30 to Barça.
16:54
And this is the Kay Smits beauty I mentioned earlier:
16:51
Gísli Kristjánsson is up again after going down and needing treatment, that is the most important after that unlucky collision with Tiagus Petrus. Barça hold a very slim lead, 30:29, with now less than three minutes on the clock.
16:41
A behind-the-back pass and an inflight goal, what a way for Magdeburg to take the lead again, 28:27. Kay Smits rounds this move off for his eighth goal of the match.
What a game!
16:39
It is close, it is tense, it is exciting. And it is all level at 27:27 with just over eight minutes left.
16:32
Team timeout Magdeburg. They are one goal up against Barça, 25:24, and we are past the halfway mark of the second half.
We are in for a tense and close finish, just what we hope for from the first semi-final!
16:29
Barça are getting under pressure now. Aleix Gómez misses from the seven-metre line and Magdeburg remain two ahead: 25:23. Just over a quarter left.
16:24
Team timeout Barça. Magdeburg have really turned the tide in the first 10 minutes after the break and Gísli Kristjánsson even puts them in the lead 23:22. Barça coach Carlos Ortega needs to have a word with his players.
16:19
Less than eight minutes into the second half and we are back level again. It is 21:21 and LANXESS arena gets louder than loud!
16:13
Second half has started.
What will Magdeburg do to keep Barça in check. They have done so pretty well in the first half but can they keep it up for the full 60 minutes? Like Kevin Domas mentioned, Domen Makuc has had an impact before the break:
16:03
Let's hear from EHF journalist Kevin Domas, who is sitting courtside as well in LANXESS arena. Here are his first-half thoughts:
"So far, Magdeburg have been giving Barça a run for their money, and showing why they beat them twice over the last two seasons. The two-time defending champions are ahead on the scoreboard at the break, though, they can thank Domen Makuc. His arrival on the court changed almost everything, and the German side has yet to find a solution to stop him. Towards the end of the half, Magdeburg seemed to bend and for sure Barça are going to use all their experience to try to make them break in the second half."
15:57 HALF-TIME | Magdeburg vs Barça 16:18
Nothing in it for 20 minutes, but you could feel the pressure on Magdeburg building in the last 10 minutes. Barça have been three ahead, but have to settle for a two-goal advantage at the break.
Michael Damgaard the most productive player with six goals, but from 11 attempts. Aleix Gómez leads for Barça with four.
15:51
Make that a three-goal lead for Barça. We have seen three straight goals from Domen Makuc and now Dika Mem forces his way through the Magdeburg defence to make it 18:15 for the defending champions, with one minute left in the first half.
15:43
Michael Damgaard the leading scorer, with already six goals meanwhile..:
15:39
First team timeout Magdeburg. Coach Bennet Wiegert wants to have a chat with his players as Barça have just opened their first two-goal lead: 13:11 after 19 minutes.
15:32
We are halfway through the first half, and nothing separating Magdeburg and Barça so far: 9:9. Michael Damgaard with four goals the best scorer for Magdeburg; Aleix Gómez has three for Barça.
15:30
Why Magdeburg did NOT score the opening goal... just the way Emil Nielsen wanted to start this match:
15:28
Steal Piotr Chrapkowski and he puts Magdeburg in the lead for the first time: 7:6 after 11 minutes. Good stuff so far!
15:24
Aleix Gómez nets his second from the day. That brings him to the third place on the all-time top scorers list of the EHF FINAL4, ahead of Aron Pálmarsson (59) and behind joint leaders Mikkel Hansen and Kiril Lazarov (both 68). History in the making here this weekend?
15:22
A tense opening five minutes, with the teams level at two all and keeping each other in check pretty well. No indication so far which way this first semi-final might go.
15:18
Dika Mem opens the scoring for this weekend! Barça up 1:0 after Kay Smits has missed a second-minute penalty for Magdeburg.
15:16
The moment has come: Magdeburg have thrown off to get the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 underway!
15:07
A stunning five-minute opening show bonanza, dedicated to the rich history of the EHF Champions League, gets LANXESS arena really fired up for the first sem-final.
The teams are entering the court.
15:00
Only 15 minutes to go now, time to put our game faces on:
14:46
One of the most misleading stats you might hear ahead of this first semi-final, although obviously correct, is that this is Barca's all-time leading 21st match at the EHF FINAL4, while Magdeburg are only playing for the very first time here.
It suggests that the difference between the two teams is really huge, way bigger than it actually is. Sure, Magdeburg have not played the EHF Champions League for the past 16 years and therefore never qualified for Cologne, but they did win the EHF European League two years ago and nearly repeated the feat in 2022.
Barça might be favourites, as they are against any opponent, but this is going to be an interesting match-up.
14:39
The red-green legion of Magdeburg supporters has made its way to LANXESS arena from the famous cathedral in Cologne:
14:23
The players are in, a lot of fans are as well (but more are coming – the 19,250-capacity LANXESS arena is sold out once again). The clock is ticking and we are left with less than an hour until Magdeburg and Barça are fi-nal-ly going to open this TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2023!
Magdeburg will be a major challenge for Barça... but two players of the Spanish side, Domen Makuc and Luka Cindric, have faced another challenge – by our social media team:
13:34
Meanwhile, we are sitting courtside in LANXESS arena and Barça and Magdeburg players have entered the arena for the first warmups. You feel the excitement build in this fantastic setting!
13:05
While the first semi-final is approaching fast (just over two hours!), let's have a quick look at one of the many other events happening on the fringes of the EHF FINAL4: the Emerging Nations Round Table.
The EHF has invited the relevant national federations for an in-depth exchange of visions and thoughts. The agenda includes topics like the EHF Masterplan, the Circle of Handball Life Matrix, key fields for developing handball, grassroot activities (with best practices from Malta and Croatia), strengthening the network, education opportunities like Rinck Convention and courses for managers, coaches and referees. Also, a catalogue of questions brought up by the various federations is a subject of the talks.
The round table ends Sunday morning with individual talks with representatives of the national federations for their specific questions and issues.
"Our mission is not only to impart and exchange information, neither is it only to discuss points of vital importance to the federations, it is our intention to see the federations actively move forward and progress," says EHF Secretary General Martin Hausleitner.
12:28
Here we go, the rosters for the semi-finals have been announced. The good news: despite many players being doubtful if they would recover from their injuries in time, like Artsem Karalek, Igor Karacic or Gísli Kristjánsson, the only key players we are missing are Magdeburg's Ómar Ingi Magnússen and PSG's Nikola Karabatic:
- match info Magdeburg vs Barça
- match into PSG vs Kielce
12:10
The on-court action starts in just over three hours, but you can tune in to Home of Handball on Twitch now to join the daily live show.
11:41
Sometimes a head-to-head overview of past matches gives a clue about the likely outcome this time, but that is not the case when it comes to Magdeburg and Barça. Since the German side last played in the EHF Champions League in 2005/06 before their return this season, their five previous duels took place more than 17 years ago.
However, both teams did meet way more recently: in the final of the IHF Super Globe for the past two years, and each time it was Magdeburg leaving the court triumphant: 33:28 in 2021, and 41:39 after extra time in 2022.
11:32
Barça, on the other hand, have sailed to Cologne. Their season seems all smooth so far. OK, they won't match their 2020/21 record when they lifted the trophy after 20 wins from 20 matches, but they might not be far off, actually. They have won all but one match this season – a 30:30 draw with THW Kiel in November during the group phase.
The balls Barça threw outside LANXESS arena on Friday evening landed among the fans; that won't happen again inside LANXESS arena on Saturday afternoon..:
11:13
Magdeburg and Barça have the honour to get the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 underway, in about four hours' time. Both teams have had vastly different campaigns to get to Cologne.
We have already touched on Magdeburg's issues this season: returning to the EHF Champions League after 17 years, the 2002 champions have had to deal with a string of injuries to some of their key players.
One of them has been Gísli Kristjánsson, who initially was ruled out for the rest of the season but luckily had a much quicker recovery than expected from the left ankle injury he sustained in the quarter-final first leg against Orlen Wisla Plock in May.
The importance of the Icelandic star for Magdeburg has just been confirmed again: Kristjánsson is named MVP of the German Bundesliga 2022/23 season!
10:49
Some behind-the-scenes news. The 2022/23 edition of the European Handball Manager Certificate Programme, a joined initiative by the European Handball Federation and the German Sport University Cologne since 2015, has been rounded off in the build-up to the EHF FINAL4 this week.
Among the graduates are four EHF(M) employees (from left): Tobia Pisani, Ines Rein, Luca Friedel, and Mate Kozma. Congrats!
10:36
A rocky road is what you certainly can call the journey to the EHF FINAL4 for both Magdeburg and Kielce. Albeit very different hurdles, both teams had to navigate their way past various obstacles during the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2022/23 season.
EHF journalist Kevin Domas caught up with Kielce head coach Talant Dujshebaev and Magdeburg line player Magnus Saugstrup to hear their stories:
10:24
Before we take a closer look at the four teams in action today, let's have a quick look back to Friday evening, when players and coaches took the stage during the official Opening Party and treated the thousands of fans outside LANXESS arena to autographs and selfies. Cologne is the capital of handball!
Here is a nice video that captures the atmosphere well:
10:15
Guten Morgen!
Cologne is truly calling today as we are only five hours away from the throw-off of the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2023. Welcome to the live blog!
You probably know by now what is going to happen at LANXESS arena, but here is the playing schedule for today:
