Gisli Kristjansson put on a show right from throw-off, scoring three goals in the first quarter to put his team in the driving seat. Goalkeeper Sergey Hernandez was also elemental, making seven saves including a last-second one against Tim Freihöfer to help SCM lead by four at the break (16:12). Hernandez kept up the rhythm throughout the second half, making a total of 18 saves at a rate of 42.86 per cent. Both Felix Claar and Gisli Kristjansson proved unstoppable for the Füchse defence, as Kristjansson scored eight and took the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2025 MVP award.
FINAL
Füchse Berlin (GER) vs SC Magdeburg (GER) 26:32 (12:16)
- with Kristjansson orchestrating the offence, Magdeburg broke away at the end of the first half to lead by four at half-time
- Berlin’s Mathias Gidsel scored his third goal at the 24th minute, moving into first position on the competition’s top scorer list, where he took his first individual title in the Champions League
- Hernandez put on a stellar performance between Magdeburg’s posts, stopping 18 shots and helping his team take their maximum lead of six goals in the 43rd minute
- Magdeburg’s Antonio Serradilla was sent off after a red card at the 34th minute, after a foul on Mijajlo Marsenic
- after scoring eight in the final and one in the semi, along with leading Magdeburg’s attack, Kristjansson was named MVP of the EHF FINAL4 for the second time in his career — he was also MVP when the side won the trophy in 2023
- this EHF Champions League title is the third in history for SC Magdeburg, after 2002 and 2023
Berlin with no answer for Magdeburg
Between two teams that know each other perfectly, it was obvious that the outcome would be decided on details. In the first half, defence definitely made the difference. While Dejan Milosavljev made wonders in the semi-final, the Füchse goalkeeper struggled to make any saves in the first half, and his defence certainly did not help him. On the other side of the court, SCM did not let the Berlin take any free shots. As a result, the 2023 champions took the lead after 13 minutes and never let it go.
While Magdeburg’s defence gave them the opportunity to break away, their goalkeeper Hernandez kept the side in front when Berlin pushed in the last quarter. When SCM led by six in the 43rd minute, 23:17, Füchse reacted and threw all the energy they had left into the game. But as they offered themselves an occasion to come back within two, Hernadez took the upper hand on Gidsel, in what was a turning point in the game. From then on, Magdeburg were never in danger again.
It’s a dream come true, really. This is something that you only dream of, and then it happens. All the hard work pays off. I am really proud of us and everyone in the club.
I guess that we lost the game in the first half. We were four goals behind and, against such a strong defence, it is hard to make up for that. We tried everything, but Magdeburg really were the best team today. It hurts. They stopped us from playing fast, from scoring easy goals, and that made the difference.
