Atlético Guardes cruise to their first EHF European Cup trophy

FINAL, SECOND LEG

Club Balonmán Atlético Guardes (ESP) vs MSK IUVENTA Michalovce (SVK) 29:24 (14:8)

First leg result: 24:20; Atlético Guardes win 53:44 on aggregate

Top scorers: Blazka Hauptman 4 goals, María Sancha González 4 goals (Club Balonmán Atlético Guardes); Aline Bieger 6 goals (MSK IUVENTA Michalovce)

• after only scoring one goal each in the first five minutes, the pace of the game increased and Michalovce took their first — and also last — lead at 4:3
• a 5:0 run for the hosts to get ahead at 8:4 and secure an overall margin of eight goals ended all hopes for the Slovakian side quite early
• goalkeeper Amandine Balzinc was a crucial factor for the 14:8 half-time result and for limiting Michalovce at only six field goals in the first 30 minutes
• the fans in the packed arena in Pontevedra started their celebrations already in the middle of the second half, when the margin was in double digits for the first time, at 24:14
• finally, seven players from Atlético Guardes scored three or more goals; with a total of 46 strikes, María Sancha González finished as the sixth best scorer of the competition

Atlético Guardes continue the Spanish dominance 

Michalovce’s dream may have already ended in the last minutes of the first leg, when Atlético Guardes extended the gap to four goals and caused the first home defeat for the Slovak side in an EHF competition since 2021.

Just as in 2024, Michalovce lost the EHF European Cup Women finals to a Spanish team, this time by an even larger aggregate margin than the 42:50 against ATTICGO Bm Elche two years ago. For Club Balonmán Atlético Guardes, the trophy is the biggest success in the club's history, after losing the 2023 finals on aggregate (43:50) against Antalya Konyaaltı — despite winning the first leg on home ground 23:17.

By winning both legs of the 2026 finals, Atlético Guardes become the fourth Spanish club to lift the trophy in this competition, after Malaga in 2021, Gran Canaria in 2022 and Elche in 2024.

Photos © Tamara Alonso/Sportcoeco