14.06.2025, 05:30
Flash quotes: TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2025 — semi-finals

FLASH QUOTES: Comments from players and coaches after the semi-finals of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2024/25

COLOGNE — comments from Barça head coach Carlos Ortega, right back Dika Mem and Melvyn Richardson, centre back Domen Makuc, SC Magberurg's head coach Bennet Wiegert, right back Ómar Ingi Magnusson, goalkeeper Nikola Portner and centre back Felix Claar, Füchse Berlin head coach Jaron Siewert, right back Nils Lichtlein, goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev, left back Matthes Langhoff, HBC Nantes head coach Gregory Cojean, line player Nicolas Tournat, left back Thibaut Briet and centre back Aymeric Minne after Füchse Berlin beat HBC Nantes 34:24 (18:12) in the first semi-final on Saturday. 

Barça vs SC Magdeburg 30:31 (18:18)

Carlos Ortega (ESP) - head coach
 
On the reasons for losing the semi-final:

“I don’t know what went wrong, of course, I want to rewatch the match later. I want to congratulate Magdeburg on their win today.”
 
On the Bundesliga, preparing German clubs for the EHF FINAL4:

“They are competing every weekend, playing close matches, and they always have to be ready. There are other leagues that are strong, but there’s no league like the Bundesliga.”

Dika Mem (FRA) – right back

On his feelings after the loss:

“It’s a huge disappointment, of course. Magdeburg are a great team, with great players, but I had the feeling that we could win this game. I think that the three red cards played a huge role in the game, but I don’t want to hide behind that either. That was a very physical game and I don’t think that they hit us more softly than we hit them…But that’s the way things are.”

On leading by four goals in the first half:

“We were good in the first half, but then a game is 60 minutes long. We did not expect to win easily anyway, we expected them to push and come back. We handled that until the end and the last action. But then it is hard to play the last minute of such a game when you are four against six.”

Melvyn Richardson (FRA) – right back

On his missed last shot:

“You have to take the chance, right? I mean, if it goes in, that’s great, but it did not. It’s hard to find a clear solution when you are playing four against six. We really tried to, but it was tough. I took my responsibilities, but things did not work out.”

On his feelings on the game:

“It was as tough as we expected, to be honest. This is the semi-final of the EHF Champions League, those are often undecided games. We kind had the upper hand in the first half, but then things were really close. Really tough game, and Magdeburg might have handled the end before. In the meantime, it is hard for us to win the game when we have had three red cards.”

Domen Makuc (SLO) – centre back

On losing the semi-final:
 
“In the last two minutes, we stopped. We wanted to win the match, but in the end, we couldn’t score, and we paused. We have to learn from this experience, and we will come stronger in the future.”

Bennet Wiegert (GER) - head coach
 
On what helped Magdeburg win the semi-final:
 
“It was one word, maybe: belief. We believed in ourselves, in our performance. In every second of the game, it was not important to lead or to be behind, in the end, we believed in ourselves and in my opinion, that was the most important thing today. Carlos, a lot of respect for all that you do, and for the entire club of Barça, but today we wanted to win and go through to the final more.”
 
On Bundesliga teams in the EHF Champions League:
 
“I can only talk about Bundesliga. Carlos has played in other leagues. It’s so tough to fight in the German Bundesliga. It’s between six or seven teams and it’s so important for German teams to qualify for the Champions League. It is really tough.”

Ómar Ingi Magnusson (ISL) – right back
 
On his feelings after the victory:
 
“It was a crazy game, with a lot of emotions up until the last second. I think we were strong enough not to lose control while the ending was crazy. Nikola [Portner] was very important and had key saves. And then, yeah, last action was a bit lucky as well. It did not start well, but we managed to find a solution.”
 
On the physicality of the game:
 
“Tough one, but this is the Champions League, so… Nothing that we did not expect. This was a real battle on both sides of the court. We are happy that we were able to win.”
 
 
Nikola Portner (SUI) - goalkeeper
 
On his last-minute save:
 
“These are the moments that you live for, when the pressure is on and you can decide which way the game is going to turn. I love this pressure, and I am happy I was able to help the team. It was not an easy save to make, I saw the ball quite late, but anyway, I’m really glad I touched that last ball.”
 
On playing against Füchse Berlin in the final:
 
“There is no easy opponent and if you want to win the title, you have to beat everyone. This will not be easy. This is a team we know very well and who delivered a great semi-final, judging by the final result. They won the Bundesliga just ahead of us, but that won’t change anything. We are not thinking about what happened in the league, only about the Champions League.”
 
 
Felix Claar (SWE) – centre back
 
On preparing for the game against Barca:
 
“We didn’t prepare anything specific, we wanted to create a strong defence with someone always blocking somewhere. I know we were behind by three goals, but we believed in ourselves, and we came back into the game. They were really good in the attack, but we managed to stop them. I’m really looking forward to the final game tomorrow.”

Füchse Berlin vs HBC Nantes 

Jaron Siewert (GER) - head coach

On how his team reacted after Mathias Gidsel's red card:

"Nobody lost track of what we had to do, we remained in the game. Everybody knew exactly what they had to do, I did not have to even take a timeout. This is another proof that our team is not only about him. I am really proud of how the team reacted, how it remained in the game, how it found solutions offensively as well."

Nils Lichtlein (GER) - right back

On the feelings after qualifying for the EHF FINAL4 final:

"This is incredible, no words. We had an almost perfect game, and there was no fear at any point. We really played well, we gave them so many problems defensively and offensively as well. Even without Mathias, we moved a lot and managed to find solutions."

On the level his team played at defensively:

"To me, this is no surprise. We play really well defensively, and if we score a lot of goals, it is because we are able to play quick, because we make our opponents lose balls. We know that this is what you need when you play at this level of competition."

Dejan Milosavljev (SRB) - goalkeeper

On his performance : 

"It is easier to make saves with such a good defence in front of you. A lot of the shots I had to face were not clear shots, either with a block or a good defence. That helped me quite a lot, and I am proud of what we collectively displayed."

On his experience playing the EHF FINAL4 final:

"That was a long time ago, but I am glad we can do it again with this team. I have nothing to say, no tip to provide, these guys have got a lot of experience. One thing is for sure, we now need to rest and tomorrow will be the most important game of the season."

Matthes Langhoff (GER) – left back
 
On Mathias Gidsel's red card:
 
“It was early in the game and we had to shift a bit after the red card. I think we did a great job, coming together with the entire team. At the end of the day, it was just a red card, there is nothing special about it.”
 
On winning the semi-final against Nantes:
 
“Nantes played well today. Of course, it is a great feeling, but now we have to look forward to tomorrow's final and prepare as much as we can.”

Gregory Cojean (FRA) - head coach

On the reasons for the defeat:

"We were quite stressed at the start of the game, we did not play on the right tempo, we were never able to play like we usually do. Even though the goal was to actually take away the pressure. After that, the red card was a moment that put some more pressure on us. We did not do the game that we had to do. We made too many mistakes, Berlin defended perfectly, and their goalkeeper made some great saves."

Nicolas Tournat (FRA), line player

On preparing for the third place match: 

“It’s difficult to accept the difference of level between us. We need to keep our heads up for tomorrow, we need to fight again. This is Cologne, yes, we are disappointed, but we need to be together to finish tomorrow at the third place.”

Thibaud Briet (FRA) – left back
 
On his feelings after losing the semi-final:
 
“We did not exist and Berlin played at the level that is required at this level of competition. Defensively, nothing worked, we tried various combinations, but nothing really worked. Usually, we rely on our defence to find trust, but we were not able to do that tonight, and their goalkeeper had an amazing game.”
 
On Mathias Gidsel's red card:
 
“I don’t think it changed the dynamics of the game too much, to be honest. We were already in a bad position when he got the red card. And they proved that they have a lot of different options. We knew it, maybe the media focused a bit more on him, but we were not surprised.”
 
On the reasons of the defeat:
 
“No idea why that happened, but we definitely did not play hard enough, were not determined enough on either side of the court. And in a Champions League semi-final, you pay the bill at the end of the game.”
 
Aymeric Minne (FRA) – centre back
 
On the feelings after the defeat:
 
“It is quite bitter, as there was no game, really. They pushed us from the very start to the very end and we never quite answered. Physically, they were many levels ahead of us. There is nothing to discuss here, really.”
 
On the reasons for HBC Nantes’ defeat:
 
“We were not good enough, really. I can’t think of one area of the game that we were better than them, even as good as them. Of course, it hurts to say that, but that’s the truth. If you don’t touch the player in front of you in defence, if you don’t score the opportunities that you have, then you end up ten goals behind. What we saw on the court was not the real team of Nantes.”
 

TEXT: