Dominant Ohrid celebrate historic first European title

FINAL, SECOND LEG

GRK OHRID (MKD) VS MOL TATABANYA KC (HUN) 31:25 (12:11)

Top scorers: Kosuke Yasuhira 9/12 (GRK Ohrid); Benedek Éles 5/8 (MOL Tatabanya KC)

• it was an incredible atmosphere in Sportska Sala Biljanini Izvori with fans from both teams bringing the heat to North Macedonia
• the hosts were the first to profit from their fans’ support, taking a 7:4 lead after 14 minutes; Tatabanya had committed eight turnovers already compared to Ohrid’s four
• another factor during the first half was the excellent battle from the goalkeepers; GRK Ohrid’s Kristian Pilipovic collected 10 saves (47.6 per cent) during the first 30 minutes, while Tatabanya’s Arián Andó even had one more stop on his stat line (47.83 per cent)
• a 5:1 run between minutes 16 and 22 brought Tatabanya back into the match, briefly giving them the lead; this period included a red card against Ante Ivanković (Ohrid) in minute 20 after a hit to the face just as Gianfranco Pribetic‘s two-minute suspension was over
• three consecutive Ohrid goals after half-time let the arena erupt and forced Tatabanya to take a timeout two and a half minutes into the second half
• tensions were higher between the sides when four suspensions were given between minutes 41 and 45, two for each side; eight suspensions were given in total during the second half
• Ohrid controlled most of the second half, only allowing Tatabanya to come back within two goals from minutes 45 to 50, only to answer with a 3:1 run to secure their lead once more going into crunch time; they extended their lead during the last minutes of the match to win the second leg 31:25

Photo credit: Anamarija Momiroska

Historic title for Ohrid and North Macedonia

For the first time in history, GRK Ohrid have won the EHF European Cup. The club was re-founded in 2011 and had played three matches in European club competitions before this season. A key for success was Ohrid’s perfect home record in the European Cup as they won seven from seven matches. 

History repeats itself. Firstly, the team that won the first leg of the final has always went on to clinch the trophy. Secondly, a North Macedonian side has won the European Cup for the second season in a row, after RK Alkaloid secured the title a year ago. Since the inaugural edition of the EHF European Cup Men in 2020, a team from the same country had also never managed to defend the trophy. This second triumph puts North Macedonia in fourth all-time of the winningest nations in the European Cup and its predecessors with Denmark, Serbia, Sweden, Greece, and Norway. Only behind Romania (seven titles), Germany (six), and Portugal (three).