Barça extends its continental dominance with 13th Champions League title against Füchse Berlin (37-34)

Barça once again reigned in Europe after defeating Füchse Berlin this Sunday in the EHF Champions League final held at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne. The current champion of the Liga NEXUS ENERGÍA ASOBAL, who had overcome Aalborg Handbold in the semifinals on Saturday (32-37), completed a brilliant Final Four to succeed SC Magdeburg as continental champion and place, once again, the stamp of Spanish professional handball at the pinnacle of the top European handball competition.

Antonio Carlos Ortega's team took the initiative for almost the entire match thanks to a solid defensive performance and the contribution of Emil Nielsen, decisive in goal with eight saves in the first half. Additionally, they managed to minimize the influence of Mathias Gidsel, one of the main offensive threats of the German side. After a balanced start, Barça began to pull away as the minutes passed. A 3-0 run allowed the blaugranas to reach a five-goal lead (14-9) before halftime, arriving at the break with a favorable 20-16. Only the contribution of Tim Freihöfer, who scored six goals in the first 30 minutes, kept Füchse Berlin in the game.

The Germans reacted after the restart and got as close as two goals (20-18), but Barça responded immediately. Luís Frade, top scorer for Barça with seven goals, along with Aleix Gómez and Blaz Janc, both with six, led the offense of a team that once again extended the gap to six goals (25-19). Despite Füchse Berlin's late attempts, who got as close as 32-30, the Barcelonans kept their composure in the decisive minutes to close the match with the final 37-34 and lift the EHF Champions League trophy for the thirteenth time (1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2026).

Barça continues to expand an unprecedented hegemony in the top continental competition, where they dominate the historical record with authority and maintain a difficult-to-reach distance compared to any other European club. With thirteen crowns, they far surpass the five titles held by VfL Gummersbach and SC Magdeburg.