QUARTER-FINALS, SECOND LEG
First leg result: 25:26; CSM won 62:53 on aggregate
H2H: 7-2-7
Top scorers: Elizabeth Omoregie 6/8, Trine Jensen Østergaard 6/6 (CSM Bucuresti); Elin Hansson 6/9, Henny Reistad 6/13 (Team Esbjerg)
POTM: Evelina Eriksson (CSM Bucuresti)
- CSM enjoyed a perfect start, as the goals by Elizabeth Omoregie and Trine Østergaard lifted them to a 6:0 lead
- after Henny Reistad scored Esbjerg's first goal in the eighth minute, the visitors improved their attack, but they were unable to cut the difference to fewer than three goals in the remaining time
- CSM were leading by six goals at the break, and while Esbjerg closed the gap to 23:20, the Romanian side held their nerve and ultimately increased their advantage to 10 goals
- goalkeeper Evelina Eriksson, who was named Player of the Match, made 14 blocks for a 34 per cent save rate, including three penalty saves — two from Henny Reistad and one from Nora Mørk
- Reistad continues to top the competition's scoring chart, now with 131 goals, but she will be unable to add more to this tally, as Esbjerg failed to reach the EHF FINAL4 for the first time since 2020/21
- the Romanian side will find out their semi-final opponents during the draw for the Raiffeisen Bank EHF FINAL4 2026 on Monday 27 April, at 15:00 CEST, live on the Home of Handball YouTube channel and EHFTV
CSM finally breaking the curse
The two teams are used to facing off in the EHF Champions League Women quarter-finals — in four of the last five seasons, their paths crossed at this exact stage of the competition. On every previous occasion — in 2022, 2023 and 2025 — it was Esbjerg who had the upper hand and progressed to the EHF FINAL4. But now, CSM finally managed to break the curse and will travel to Budapest after an eight-year wait, while no Danish side continues in the race for the title, as Odense Håndbold were eliminated by Györi Audi ETO KC on Saturday.
Cheered by their home crowd, CSM looked very inspired from the very beginning, and their 6:0 lead gave them a moral boost. Esbjerg could not find any solutions against the hosts, who played well both as a team and individually. Evelina Eriksson stepped up with her multiple saves, while Elizabeth Omoregie had an amazing performance, scoring and setting up goals. And while Henny Reistad added six goals to her tally, she also missed many chances and did not have her best day, just like the entire Danish team.
It was a very emotional game, we knew how much it means to us, considering the history that we have against Team Esbjerg. I believe very much in this team and we gave everything today. We are happy that we qualified for the FINAL4, but we are not yet satisfied, as once we get there we will give everything again.
First of all, I would like to congratulate CSM Bucuresti, they played a very good game, and especially Evelina, she had a great performance today. We had a tough beginning of the game, and I feel that, because of that, we couldn’t come back. The crowd was amazing today. Maybe we lost a bit of our confidence because we had to chase them the whole game. Our opponent was mentally strong today and very well prepared, so congratulations to them!
