Reigning champions Füchse eliminate Nantes to make it to the EHF Finals

Reigning champions Füchse eliminate Nantes to make it to the EHF Finals

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EHF / Adrian Costeiu
30 April 2024, 22:30

After a 33:33 draw in the first leg, Füchse jumped to an early lead in a packed H Arena in Nantes, delivering one of their best all-around performances this season, to clinch a 37:30 win and a place in the EHF Finals.

Füchse will be one of the three German sides – alongside SG Flensburg-Handewitt and Rhein-Neckar Löwen - to enter the draw for the EHF Finals Men, which will take place in Hamburg, the host city, Friday, 3 May, at 11:00 CEST.

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QUARTER-FINALS, SECOND LEG

HBC Nantes (FRA) vs Füchse Berlin (GER) 30:37 (16:18)

Füchse Berlin win 70:63 on aggregate

  • Füchse have now qualified for the third time in the last four editions of the EHF Finals Men, after winning the title last season being the runners-up in the 2020/21 season
  • a 6:2 run, built on the back of a pair of goals scored by Danish pair Lasse Andersson and Hans Lindberg, saw Füchse take an early 9:5 lead and never looked back from that moment
  • Füchse’s line player Max Darj had his best outing of the season, scoring eight goals, or 35 per cent of the total number of goals scored in the previous 11 matches played this season
  • Darj, Andersson and Lindberg were Füchse’s top scorers, with a combined total of 26 goals, exactly 70 per cent of their team’s goals, which had only eight players on the scoresheet
  • Nantes missed the chance of featuring in the EHF Finals for the first time since 2016, being eliminated in the quarter-finals, exactly like in the 2021/22 season

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Attacking efficiency lifts Füchse past Nantes

This season has been far from ideal for Füchse Berlin, the team with the largest number of wins in history in the EHF European League Men – 43 – as the German side dropped two matches and drew another on their way to the quarter-finals.

Yet they produced an excellent performance in the second leg against Nantes, to take a 37:30 win and make back-to-back EHF Finals Men.

Füchse are the only side from last season’s quartet to return to the business end of the second-tier European competition, shrugging off losses against Sporting CP, to kickstart the end of the season, after lagging behind both in the EHF European League Men and in the German Bundesliga.

Despite their lack of depth, Füchse delivered an excellent attacking display, with a fantastic 79 per cent shooting efficiency.

Nantes could simply not match the German side’s output, as Jaron Siewert’s side secured their third EHF Finals spot in the last four seasons.

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Cojean
We spent so much energy in defence but without saves. One can’t win a EHF European League quarter-final with only three saves in 60 minutes. We had to take risks at five goals behind. It worked for a bit but not long enough.
Gregory Cojean
Head coach, HBC Nantes
Siewert
We were the dominant and better team for the entire sixty minutes. Every single member of the team played his part today to survive in this atmosphere. To concede only 22 goals in 45 minutes against such an attacking team deserves my respect. Our defence was decisive, which allowed us to get into a fast-paced game and repeatedly make fast breaks. We're mega-happy to be in the final tournament now.
Jaron Siewert
Head coach, Füchse Berlin

Match action

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Jean Le Boulanger - HBC Nantes
30042024 Hbcnantes Berlin Freihofer
Jean Le Boulanger - HBC Nantes
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Jean Le Boulanger - HBC Nantes
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Jean Le Boulanger - HBC Nantes
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Jean Le Boulanger - HBC Nantes
30042024 Hbcnantes Berlin Andersson
30042024 Hbcnantes Berlin Rivera
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Jean Le Boulanger - HBC Nantes
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Jean Le Boulanger - HBC Nantes
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Jean Le Boulanger - HBC Nantes

Photos Jean Le Boulanger - HBC Nantes

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