Metz Handball secured their first EHF FINAL4 Women spot since the 2018/19 season after taking their second consecutive win against BV Borussia 09 Dortmund, 32:19, to seal a 62:41 aggregate win in the EHF Champions League Women play-offs.
After Rostov-Don were eliminated from the EHF Champions League Women, the French side are the first team to progress to the final act of the competition.
PLAY-OFF, SECOND LEG
Metz Handball (FRA) vs BV Borussia 09 Dortmund (GER) 32:19 (14:10)
First leg: 30:22. Metz won 62:41 on aggregate
- the 13-goal loss was Dortmund's joint-biggest defeat in Europe's premier competition, tying the previous record, set against Györi Audi ETO KC, in November 2020
- this was Metz’s biggest win in the EHF Champions League Women since a 14-goal win against HC Podravka Vegeta in October 2019
- Metz confirmed their status as one of the top teams at home in the competition, having now lost only twice in their last 23 home games, winning 16 of those
- the German side suffered their seventh consecutive loss in Europe's premier competition – their longest losing streak
- for the first time in three seasons, Metz Handball have secured an EHF FINAL4 Women spot, despite losing four games in group phase, after potential quarter-final opponents Rostov-Don were eliminated
Metz are back among the best
Since returning to Metz this March after a season and a half at Rostov-Don, centre back Grace Zaadi has been nothing short of superb. Zaadi, who is enjoying her best season in the EHF Champions League, scored seven times in the two legs against BV Borussia 09 Dortmund, helping Metz progress to the next phase of the competition.
The French side have never made the final of Europe's premier competition, but with a balanced roster and experienced coach Emmanuel Mayonnade on the bench, they might be a dark horse this time around.
Dortmund's path ends here in this competition, but there is a lot to learn from the way of playing handball in Metz. I hope that Metz will win the Champions League so we can say that we have been eliminated by the winners. Good luck to them.
Dortmund is a very good team that can play a lot of different ways in defence or attack, so everyone was focused for two weeks. We are very happy, of course, because everyone trains very hard in the club. Everyone deserves to go to the EHF FINAL4, and Meline (Nocandy) is one of the best captains I have ever coached.
I am really happy and proud. We knew the quality of the (Dortmund) team and we played seriously despite the lead we had in the first game. It was important not only to win tonight, but also to show great things in front of our incredible fans. We got our ticket to Budapest legitimately.
