Mighty Magdeburg cruise past Aalborg to seal third place in Champions League

Manuel Zehnder with the bronze medal
Manuel Zehnder with the bronze medalREUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen

After missing out on the Champions League final on Saturday, Magdeburg ended their season on a positive note when they won the third-place match 32-26 (17-11) against Aalborg Handball, featuring German playmaker Juri Knorr.

The planned title defense after their 2025 triumph failed on Saturday with a 35-40 (17-19) defeat in the semifinal on Saturday against Füchse Berlin.

"It takes time to process and get over this," said coach Benny Wiegert. Nevertheless, his team put in a dominant performance on Sunday, taking an early and clear lead, and the victory was never in doubt.

Judging from the start of the game, Magdeburg had recovered better from Saturday's defeat, even though the German side took some time to translate it into goals on the scoreboard.

To the Match Center: Aalborg HB vs. SC Magdeburg

Aalborg struggled to find solutions despite rotating almost their whole squad during the first half, and even when they did, they could not get past Magdeburg goalkeeper Matej Mandić, who saved nine before the break.

Magdeburg remained in control in the last 15 minutes of the game and never allowed Aalborg to make a comeback as they went on to secure a six-goal victory.

Aalborg never finished fourth at the event before 2026, as they reached the final on their two previous participations, in 2021 and 2024

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