The final match of the EHF European Cup, which determines the strongest team in the lower league of European handball, has been confirmed. Hungary’s MOL Turbana KC and North Macedonia’s GRK Ohrid will face off for the first ever championship, writing a dramatic one-point reversal drama.
Turbana defeated HC Izvidac (Bosnian Herzegovina) 37-34 in the second leg of the 2025/26 EHF Men’s Handball European Cup semi-final at Tabányai Multifunkcíos Csarnok in Turbana, Hungary on the 1st (local time).
After losing 31–33 away in the first leg, Turbanyu won the ticket to the final with a combined score of 68–67 and only one goal.
사진 확대 Photo by 2025/26 EHF Men’s Handball European Cup match between Ohrid and Chele, photo source = European Handball Federation
The game was not easy. At one point in the first half, the team was pushed back by Izvidachi’s offensive with Fahrudin Melic and Diano Céeško, falling behind by four goals. However, after winning the game with Demis Grigoras ̦’s consecutive points at the end of the first half, he completed his fate’s three-goal victory with his concentration with five minutes left.
Grigorache, who scored nine goals, Patrick Toniazo Lemos, who made all six shots, and goalkeeper Arián Andón, who made nine decisive saves, were the main players in the reversal.
Ohrid of North Macedonia produced a more dramatic drama. In the second round in Ohrid, North Macedonia, on the 2nd, he defeated RK Celje, a powerhouse in Slovenia who has won the Champions League in the past, 29-27 (including throwing a match). Ochrid, who lost 26–27 in the first leg, tied the score on aggregate with a 25–24 lead after the end of regular time in the second leg, eventually winning 55–54 on aggregate after a game-winning toss.
Ohrid ace Yasuhira Yasuhira led the attack by scoring nine goals during the game. Yasuhira, Goce Ojleski and Allen Kjosevski succeeded in the penalty shootout that followed, and Darko Đukic, the last kicker, shook the net and turned the gym into a frenzy. Coach Boris Rojevic, who took office in March last year, showed leadership in leading his team to the final of the European tournament after his first season in office.
Both Turbanja and Ohrid made it to the final of the European match for the first time in the club’s history. Handball fans around the world are paying attention to who will be the final winner between Turbanja, who is trying to protect the pride of Hungary, a traditional handball powerhouse, and Ohrid, North Macedonia, which has emerged as an emerging powerhouse. The finals between the two teams will be played in a home-and-away manner on May 23-24 and 30-31.
[Kim Yongpil, MK Sports Reporter]