After a difficult start to the Champions League season, our women’s handball team has steadily improved, and on Sunday afternoon reached the final hurdle before the coveted EHF FINAL4. The quarter-final against Metz brought back good memories, as it was the French side we defeated to reach the Final4 for the first time in 2023. However, it was clear that past success would count for little this time.

What mattered more was that Orlane Kanor was again sidelined due to recurring headaches following her January concussion, while Darja Dmitrijeva had not yet recovered from injury. Missing two key players inevitably reduced our chances, but dealing with such setbacks has been a recurring theme this season, and the team aimed to show it could handle the situation once again.

Facing one of the best teams in the world — a side that reached the semi-finals in each of the past two seasons — required a top-level performance over both legs.

We started nervously despite incredible support from the stands, with the arena buzzing. Our first goal came in the sixth minute through Emily Vogel, returning from injury, but Metz were sharper early on and struck twice both before and after our opener (1–4). It was already clear how much every possession, every defensive action and every goal would matter. Encouragingly, the belief and fighting spirit were there.

Containing Sarah Bouktit proved particularly difficult, while Metz also made strong use of their wings. Whenever we managed to stop those threats, we were able to close the gap. We drew level at 5–5, and in the 18th minute Katrin Klujber gave us the lead for the first time (9–8).

The game remained finely balanced, and our lead did not last long. Metz responded with three straight goals, forcing us to chase again. Jesper Jensen had already introduced the seven-on-six attack, which worked well, but after the 20th minute we made too many mistakes — turnovers and missed clear chances allowed Metz to score easy goals. Angela Malestein was our most reliable finisher, but we were still searching for that extra edge. The visitors opened up a four-goal lead at 11–15, but we responded well before the break, and after two goals from Gréta Márton, we went into halftime just one behind.

Emily Vogel equalised early in the second half, and Blanka Böde-Bíró then produced three consecutive saves, giving us the chance to take control. Metz, however, always had an answer, with Anna Albek responding to our goals, but we stayed in front for long stretches. Vilde Ingstad also delivered a strong performance, and it felt like we had found our rhythm. Böde-Bíró continued to make outstanding saves, which made it all the more frustrating that we could not extend our lead beyond two goals — especially during a double man advantage.

Those missed opportunities proved costly. Our attacking play stalled, and despite a timeout, Metz scored five unanswered goals after 22–20 before Petra Simon finally stopped the run (23–25). Our backcourt players were under enormous pressure, with Simon and Vogel playing almost the entire match, and fatigue began to show as more passes ended up in Metz hands.

But once again, the team showed great heart. We kept fighting and drew level again at 29–29. Mette Tranborg stepped up offensively after battling hard in defence against Bouktit, while Klujber converted crucial penalties.

In the closing moments, we had no chance to attack for the lead, but Emily Vogel equalised to leave the tie level after the first leg. The decision is therefore postponed by a week — and based on this performance, we can believe there is still more to come from our team.

For all updates on FTC Handball, please visit our site in Hungarian language.