Wolff steers THW Kiel to the final in Hamburg

Both sides were highly inefficient from the penalty line: Kiel missed three of four, Montpellier six of eight. Kiel’s final opponent will be decided in the second and all-German semi-final, MT Melsungen vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt.

FIRST SEMI-FINAL

Montpellier Handball (FRA) vs THW Kiel (GER) 28:29 (12:15)

H2H: 4-0-12
Top scorers: David Balaguer (Montpellier Handball) 8/13, Eric Johansson (THW Kiel) 6/16

• after a low-scoring start and boosted by their White Wall of fans, THW Kiel took control in the middle of the first half, in which both sides caused many mistakes
• with the saves of goalkeeper Andreas Wolff (seven in the first half), the German side pulled ahead to four goals for the first time at 12:8 in minute 21 and stayd ahead until the break
• after six saves before the break, Remi Desbonnet was Montpellier’s hero after the restart; his saves were crucial for the 16:16 equaliser in minute 37, as Kiel were struggling in attack
• a double strike from David Balaguer within 15 seconds even provided Montpellier with an 20:18 lead, as Kiel only scored three goals in the first 11 minutes of the second half
• THW were shaken, but did not fall: three consecutive goals of Magnus Landin, two saved penalties by Wolff, and another strike from Eric Johansson caused euphoria among their fans when leading 24:21
• in the final stages, Kiel could have decided the encounter earlier, but missed many clear chances, Montpellier grabbed heir chance and levelled the result again at 28:28 in minute 58
• 31 seconds before the end, Kiel coach Filip Jicha took his last team timeout, Eric Johansson netted for the 29:28, before Wolff secured the final with a spectacular double save

Kiel take revenge and reach first final since 2020

One year ago, the players of THW Kiel were shocked and left the court with their heads down, while Montpellier were celebrating. A last-second goal of Ahmed Hesham for the 31:30 secured the French side the ticket for the final. In 2026, Kiel struck back in Hamburg, jumped for joy, took revenge and now play their first final in any EHF competition since winning the EHF Champions League in 2020.

The winners of four EHF Champions League and four EHF Cup trophies are still in the race for a trophy in the 2025/26 season after failing in the domestic competitions. Still having to replace their back court stars Emil Madsen and Elias Ellefsen à Skipagøtu – their top scorers at the EHF Finals 2025 – THW played with a different style of attacking, focusing on their powerful line players. And on the other end of the court, Andreas Wolff was like a wall, saving 13 shots including the two crucial ones right before the end.

all photos © 2026 kolektiff