Bietigheim pulls off a stunning Champions League feat.
For the very first time, a German women's handball team has made it to the Champions League finals - SG BB;M Bietigheim. They're up against the favorite, Metz, and could potentially pull off the biggest win ever. But it won't be easy, as a tougher opponent still awaits.
This Saturday in Budapest, SG BBM Bietigheim, coached by Jakob Vestergaard, shocked everyone by making it to the finals of the Champions League. They beat Metz Handball in the semi-finals with an impressive score of 36:29 (14:15) in front of 13,300 spectators. The top performers of the match were goalkeeper Gabriela Moreschi, with her 17 saves, and captain Xenia Smits, who scored nine goals and displayed an exceptional defensive game.
In the Sunday final (6 p.m.), SG Bietigheim is going up against Audi ETO Györ from Hungary, who had previously defeated Team Esbjerg from Denmark with a close score of 24:23 in their semi-final game. Bietigheim is the first German team at the Budapest tournament since 2014, and they're only the second German team to ever reach the semi-finals - the first being Walle Bremen back in 1995.
Despite some initial jitters in attack, it was neck-and-neck between the two teams in the first half. This was largely thanks to the amazing work done by Moreschi, who had kept out eight shots before halftime. The defense was also impeccable. With a big run of four unanswered goals, Bietigheim took the lead for the first time at 22:18 (42 minutes). Moreschi's confidence continued to grow as the game went on, and it almost seemed like the sensation of winning was just around the corner at 27:22 (48 minutes). The game was officially decided at 32:26.
Just making it to the finals was a huge accomplishment in and of itself: SG BBM Bietigheim had ended their preliminary round group in sixth place and had to work their way through the quarterfinals. They managed to defeat the Danish vice-champion Odense HB in two matches: 30:26 and 30:32. The three matches against the Danes played during the preliminary round hadn't gone quite so well for Smits and her team - the worst being the 29:42 loss.
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In the highly anticipated Champions League final this Sunday, DHB's SG Bietigheim, led by Jakob Vestergaard, aims to outshine Audi ETO Györ from Hungary, having already defeated Metz Handball in the semi-finals with an impressive score. Following their impressive victory, SG Bietigheim secure their place in the Champions League, making history as the first German team to reach the finals since 2014.
