Live blog: Flensburg extend lead over Montpellier
After two amazing semi-finals on Saturday, Montpellier Handball and SG Flensburg-Handewitt have 60 minutes to play for the EHF European League Men 2024/25 trophy. Only one team can triumph at the Maschinensucher EHF Finals 2025 - who will it be?
14:45
Here we go - the opening show is starting and throw-off for the placement match is only 15 minutes away!
14:30
Make sure you're following us on social media - there's lots going on, including plenty of behind-the-scenes clips on the @ehfel_official Instagram channel!
14:15
In 30 minutes the opening show before the placement match starts, so now's your chance to plan your snacks for the afternoon's entertainment. Here in the arena, the mascots have been reintroduced and the fans are starting to gather - we're expecting over 11,000 people to watch today's games. As Kiel arrive to warm-up there's a flurry of horns from their corner.
14:00
The Maschinensucher EHF Finals 2025 final throws off at 18:00 CEST and judging by yesterday's semi-finals it will be an absolutely cracking contest.
Flensburg are still unbeaten in this EHF European League season with 11 victories and two draws (against French side Toulouse), Montpellier have won 12 matches and were only defeated by GOG in the main round.
Flensburg could become the first side to defend a European League title, after beating Füchse Berlin 36:31 in last year's final, also in Hamburg. Montpellier could become the first French side to win a second-tier club competition - the closest any other French club has come is second, with Nantes losing the EHF Cup in 2013 to Rhein-Neckar Löwen and Göppingen in 2016.
The head-to-head is in Flensburg's favour, with six previous wins to Montpellier's three, but three matches have been draws. In 2018, Montpellier eliminated Flensburg from the EHF Champions League in the quarter-finals and went on to claim the title.
Looking at the individuals involved, expect plenty of Scandinavian action - yesterday, Dane Emil Jakobsen was Flensburg's top scorer with nine goals, while Swede Sebastian Karlsson scored eight times for Montpellier. Both are in the running to become the top scorer of the weekend, alongside Melsungen's Timo Kastening (eight goals on Saturday) and Dainis Kristopans (seven), Kiel's Eric Johansson and Lukas Zerbe, and Montpellier's Ahmed Hesham (all also seven goals).
Jakobsen was also last year's MVP of the EHF Finals. We'll find out at the end of the game if he will retain that title or if someone else can take it from him.
13:30
So it's just 90 minutes until the 3/4 placement match throws off. Kiel and Melsungen are familiar foes, meeting regularly in the Bundesliga as well as in the European League main round earlier this year. After drawing 26:26 in Kassel, Kiel went on to win the home game 35:24.
But in the Bundesliga, Melsungen have won both encounters this season - bringing their all-time tally of victories over Kiel to seven. Kiel have won 32 of the two sides' meetings in domestic competitions, including the German cup final in April (28:23).
This is Kiel's fifth appearance in the final stage of a second-tier European competition, and the first time they have failed to make the final. Kiel's record of appearances in either the European League or its predecessor the EHF Cup, or the EHF Champions League, is unbroken back to the start of the Champions League in 1994/95. In contrast, Melsungen reached the EHF Cup quarter-finals twice, in 2014/15 and 2016/17, and are in their first season in the European League after missing out at the qualification stage in 2020/21.
Look out for Melsungen's Ian Barrufet, who only needs one goal to become the top scorer of the season. Barrufet did not play much of yesterday's match, but if he can step up for at least one seven-metre penalty he will top the standings.
Also look out for Kiel's Patrick Wiencek, who is retiring from playing this season. Today is his last international match; expect emotions from the team and their thousands of fans in the arena.
13:00
Did you see Ahmed Hesham's amazing buzzer-beater that sent Montpellier to the final yesterday? Even if you did, it's worth watching again!
12:30
Here are some of our favourite atmospheric images of fans and the opening show from yesterday’s action. We’re looking forward to another exciting day today!
