Magdeburg ready to defend their title in Cologne

QUARTER-FINALS, SECOND LEG 

SC Magdeburg vs OTP Bank - PICK Szeged 45:37 (23:19)

H2H: 7-0-1
First leg result: 28:35, SC Magdeburg won 80:65 on aggregate
Top scorers: Ómar Ingi Magnússon 8/9 (SC Magdeburg), Janus Daði Smárason 7/7 (OTP Bank - PICK Szeged)

• making the most of every opportunity they had to score, Magdeburg took the best start and an early three-goal advantage within the first five minutes
• despite Smárason scoring five for Szeged in the first half, the Hungarian side was unable to stop their opponents’ offensive waves — as a result, Magdeburg scored 23 goals in the first half alone, beating their all-time record in the competition along the way
• as the game progressed, Magdeburg increased their advantage steadily, crossing the 10-goal bar two minutes before the final buzzer, as 10 players scored at least one goal
• with 45 goals scored, Magdeburg beat another record for most goals scored in a single game; Szeged, on the other hand, received the most goals ever in a single game 
• this qualification for the EHF FINAL4 is Magdeburg’s fourth in a row, as the German club lifted the trophy twice in Cologne, in 2023 and 2025
• SC Magdeburg will know their semi-final opponent at the Truckscout24 EHF FINAL4 2026 draw, which will take place on 12 May at 15:00 CEST, live on EHFTV and Home of Handball YouTube channel

Magdeburg — an unstoppable offensive force

23 goals at half-time, 45 at the final whistle, Magdeburg were firing on all cylinders tonight, breaking record after record. First, the one with the most goals in one half, then the most goals scored in a single game. Right from the throw-off, the hosts proved they had no intention of just keeping the advantage gathered in the first leg in Hungary.

No matter who would be on the court, Szeged proved unable to stop the waves of men in black towards their goals. As the game went on, SCM coach Bennett Wiegert chose to open up his bench, without his team showing any sign of slowing down. Over the course of these two games, Magdeburg were clearly a notch too hard to stop for their opponents.