QUARTER-FINALS
Odense Håndbold (DEN) vs SG BBM Bietigheim (GER) 32:30 (17:16)
SG BBM Bietigheim win 60:58 on aggregate
- a 6:3 run to start the second half, powered by some fantastic one-on-one saves from goalkeeper Gabriela Goncalves Dias Moreschi helped Bietigheim cross the line and deliver the biggest shock in this season’s quarter-finals
- Goncalves Dias Moreschi, the goalkeeper with the second largest number of saves before this weekend, produced a fantastic match, with 15 saves for a 31.9 per cent saving efficiency
- Bietigheim, the winners of the EHF European League Women in the 2021/22 season, have now qualified for the EHF FINAL4 for their first time in history, with their best performance in the European premium competition being the play-offs
- Jakob Vestergaard’s side will be the first German side to ever take part in the EHF FINAL4 in Budapest, in the 10th edition of the business end of the EHF Champions League Women in this format
- Bietigheim’s path towards the ticket to Budapest was forged after finishing sixth in the group phase, the lowest-seeded team to clinch a berth for the EHF FINAL4, and eliminating two Danish teams, Ikast and Odense, in the knockout phase
- backs Xenia Smits and Kelly Dulfer were Bietigheim’s top scorers, with seven goals each, as the German side had an outstanding 67 per cent shooting efficiency
Bietigheim show key intangibles to seal EHF FINAL4 berth
The four-goal win sealed by Bietigheim in the first leg of the quarter-final against Odense was the huge shock of last week, but the impression was that the Danish side could turn the tide and clinch the EHF FINAL4 berth on their home court. Indeed, that was the case in the start of the match, when Odense cancelled that lead with a four-goal lead of their own, 10:6 and 14:10.
But Bietigheim have found another gear, like they did throughout 2024 in the European premium competition. After conceding three losses in the group phase, the German side went on a four-match unbeaten run before the second leg against Odense and always found meaningful contributions from their roster, with only three outfield players failing to score a goal.
Odense did take a two-goal lead in the second half and applied serious pressure on Bietigheim, only for goalkeeper Gabriela Goncalves Dias Moreschi and backs Xenia Smits and Kelly Dulfer to deliver the goods in key moments, to prevent a Danish comeback, even when Odense played throughout the second half with a seven-on-six attack, with Bietigheim celebrating wildly on the court after the final whistle.
It was a game of ups and downs, and we knew it would be tough to play here. It would not be an easygoing game and it would be 60 minutes where we would have to fight, and that’s what we did, so I’m proud of my team and feel honoured to play with this club.
I think we were a little stressed when we were close to them. We were actually in front before we got stressed; it was like that the whole game, and we just weren’t good enough today.
