Lasse Møller: "It means a lot to take the next step"

"It has been fantastic, it means a lot to take the next step in a European tournament now, as we missed the EHF Finals Men last season," asserts 27-year-old Lasse Møller, referring to the quarter-final defeat to Spanish Fraikin BM. Granollers in last season's EHF European League, which meant Flensburg missed out on the very EHF Finals they were hosting.

"The tournament has been really fun with many great experiences. You can clearly feel that the competition in the EHF European League has become greater in recent years. For me personally, it has been great to be able to get many extra playing minutes at a high level, and it is always special to play all over Europe," says Møller, who in this EHF European League season is not only the top scorer for his team with 62 goals, but the player with the most assists in the team too, with 47 goal-creating passes.

In the first semi-final of the EHF Finals Men 2024, the German team face the strong Romanian side Dinamo Bucuresti – an opponent that Møller has great respect for.

"It is a very strong opponent who is working on a hugely exciting project. A lot of top-class players in all positions. So, an opponent with high international quality is always fun to play against."

Meeting a strong Romanian team is one aspect, yet it is also the very first time that the two clubs will meet each other on the handball court, adding to the sense of the unknown.

To stand with the trophy in their hands and the gold medal around their necks, Møller and co. have to get past Vladimir Cupara, Luka Cindric, Ali Zein and the rest of Xavier Pascual's troops, before a possible final offers either Rhein-Neckar Löwen or Füchse Berlin – two teams that the northern Germans know exceptionally well from the Bundesliga.

There is no doubt what the title will mean to SG Flensburg-Handewitt. "It would be huge for the club to also show that we want to be at the top in Europe," asserts Møller, before he puts into words what the upcoming event itself means.

"It ranks really high. There is always something special about international tournaments. I hope it will be a weekend of great handball matches, where all handball lovers can share their love for the sport."

Photos © Ingrid Anderson-Jensen