The stage is set for May's EHF European Cup Men's final between AEK Athens HC and HC Alkaloid.
AEK Athens HC secured their first EHF European Cup Men final appearance since 2021, despite a 28-24 second-leg defeat to HC Izvidac in Bosnia. They’ll face HC Alkaloid, who needed a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Runar Sandefjord to progress.
AEK Athens HC entered Saturday’s second leg with a comfortable nine-goal cushion after their dominant 37-28 home victory over HC Izvidac the previous week. The return leg saw both sides misfire early, with first-half shooting efficiency dipping below 50% as goalkeepers Yann Genty (9 saves for AEK) and Haris Suljević (7 saves for Izvidac) starred.
The hosts took a narrow 13-12 halftime lead and briefly stretched it to three, but momentum shifted when Izvidac’s EHF European Cup top scorer Diano Neris Česko received a disqualification at the 38-minute mark. AEK capitalized, trimming the deficit to one.
Despite Izvidac rallying to a five-goal advantage in the final six minutes, their 28-24 win proved insufficient to overturn the aggregate deficit.
In the other semifinal, HC Alkaloid clinched their final berth after a grueling penalty shootout victory over Runar Sandefjord in Norway.
Thriller in Norway sees guests go through
HC Alkaloid Survive Norwegian Thriller to Reach Final
Following their 42-37 shootout victory in the first leg, Alkaloid faced a determined Runar Sandefjord side in Norway. The hosts stormed to a four-goal halftime lead, fueling hopes of a comeback, but Alkaloid steadily chipped away in the second half.
The clash hung in the balance until the final minutes, with the aggregate score deadlocked. A last-gasp goal by Martin Ivanovski (34-29 on the night) forced a dramatic penalty shootout—where Runar’s nerves showed, missing three of four attempts. Alkaloid kept their composure, converting three penalties to seal their place against AEK Athens in the final.
