Dramatic shoot-outs decide Champions Cup semi-finalists

Semi-final schedule

Sunday 18 October
10:00 CEST: Men's semi-finals

• 12 Monkeys Köln vs Nazaré BHT (court 1)

• GRD Leça - Spar vs Aarhus Beach (court 2)

10:45 CEST: Women's semi-finals

• CBMP Ciudad de Málaga vs Red Velvet BHC - Bomba (court 1)

• Club Handbol Xàbia vs GRD Leça - Love Tiles (court 2)

MEN'S COMPETITION

• 12 Monkeys Köln will battle it out against Nazaré BHT in the semi-finals, while GRD Leça - Spar will face Aarhus Beach

• A last-second save by Nazare’s Milton Estrelinha gave the defending champions the advantage after the first set against HÍR-SAT BHC; the high-flying action continued in the second set, where the home team kept their cool and snatched the 2:0 (24:22, 24:18) win

• For the fourth time in a row, the star-studded squad of HÍR-SAT, with world-class Hungarian internationals, is finding the quarter-finals too hard to overcome, having achieved two sixth-place and one eighth-place finishes

• A duo of Robin John and Lennart Worrmann, who overall scored 34 points in the quarter-finals, helped 12 Monkeys Köln find the right rhythm from the first whistle, as they outmuscled the debutants, Frenchy's Beach Handball (27:16, 26:8)

• The 2024 champions, Leça, started strongly in the quarter-finals against Alba Fehérvár, but the Hungarian debutants bounced back to win the second set; the teams were level until the sixth series, when Miguel Ferreira Ribeiro of Leça saved a shot and Tiago Costa scored the winning goal

• The third time was the charm for Aarhus, who finally powered through the quarter-finals after failing in 2024 and 2025; in an enthralling shoot-out (24:23, 22:25, 26:24), the Danish team needed 14 series to secure their win against the formidable Málaga team, making Andreas Søndergaard Høgh the hero of the day

WOMEN'S COMPETITION

• In the first semi-final, title holders CBMP Ciudad de Málaga will clash with Red Velvet BHC - Bomba, while the newcomers Club Handbol Xàbia will face GRD Leça - Love Tiles 

• The reigning champions from Málaga maintained their hopes of defending their title, but were unsettled when the fantastic Next Wave came from behind in the second set and took the match to a thrilling shoot-out by Krijsman's golden goal

• Dalma Mátéfi joined Red Velvet on Saturday morning, taking their game to new heights after a less than convincing start to the competition; when it seemed that the 2024 champions, Danish Dream, would knock out the Hungarians, the quarter-finals went to a shoot-out and Red Velvet won in the 12th series

• The clash of the debutants, Xàbia and Tempo Donna Mamma, went on the Spanish side, with Xàbia having a strong support from their goalkeeper, Paula Quiles Vera, who proved to be one of the crucial players in their quarter-final win

• The final shoot-out of the day on court 2 brought more spectacular action to fans, as the 2025 runners-up, Leça, faced Beach Unicorns Hannover; experience proved crucial, as the Portuguese side kept their cool in the final moments to secure a 2:1 win (22:20, 22:27, 7:2)

Photos: kolektiff