However, until the 18:16 in minute 40, it did not look like such a clear result. Melsungen were on par up to this point, then the SCM pulled away - and the success had the same name as the 30:25 victory in the semi-final the day before against the Füchse Berlin: goalkeeper Sergey Hernandez. The Spaniard fended off a total of 20 shots and was also deservedly named DKB player of the tournament. Best scorers for the new cup winners were Lukas Mertens with seven goals and Omar Ingi Magnusson (6).

Magdeburg had lost to the Rhein-Neckar Löwen after penalty shoot-out at the premiere of the REWE Final4 in Cologne last year, but now they celebrated their second final success in the LANXESS Arena after their Champions League triumph in 2023. Albin Lagergren, who transferred from the Lions to SCM in the summer of 2023, is the only defending champion in the German Cup. All four matches of the REWE Final4 were sold-out with 19,750 fans, the tournament was broadcast to 60 countries worldwide.

Statements after the match:

Bennet Wiegert, coach SC Magdeburg: I am incredibly proud and happy to be able to return to Magdeburg as cup winners after this weekend. That's not a given, because anything can happen on weekends like this, and usually it's not the favorite who wins. The team did a great job, it was a team with mentality, strength, power and quality. In the first half we made a lot of mistakes that were untypical for us and Melsungen made it really difficult for us and forced us to make mistakes. The second half is hard to describe, we play ourselves into a frenzy. Outstanding Sergey boosted us with his saves. Everything has to sink and settle then the joy will get bigger and bigger.

Gisli Kristjansson, SC Magdeburg player: Cologne suits me, I feel comfortable here. It's brilliant that we won the cup at the third attempt. It's an incredibly nice feeling to be up there on the podium. Our fans were outstanding again, they gave us incredible support, especially in the second half, so we kept on going.

Sergey Hernandez, DKB player of the tournament and goalkeeper SC Magdeburg: I honestly can't describe my feelings. This is all incredible, I have so many emotions. That was an incredible success.

Roberto Parrondo Garcia, coach MT Melsungen: Magdeburg was 100 percent better, in the last ten minutes we were no longer a competitor. When it was minus five, we didn't play anymore because it was difficult for us. We didn't have that much energy, but no problem: I know what team we are and what we can do. I'm very proud of the team, we'll keep going like this and maybe in two or three years we'll have a big name and then be in a good situation. That is the path we must take.

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Like in 2023, Flensburg finish third

Placement match 3-4: Füchse Berlin vs. SG Flensburg-Handewitt 28:31 (19:15)

Two completely different halves, two outstanding goalkeepers and excitement right up to the final whistle - the game for third place at the REWE Final4 was a real thriller and the ideal way to prepare for the final. As in the previous year, SG Flensburg-Handewitt secured bronze place in Cologne thanks to a hard-fought 31:28 victory after being down 15:19 at the break. Matchwinner was Flensburg's goalkeeper Kevin Møller with 16 saves, his team's best scorers were Simon Pytlick with seven goals and Johannes Golla and Emil Jakobsen, who each scored six times. On the other side, the goalkeeper was also Berlin’s best man: Dejan Milosavljev fended off twelve shots.

Statements after the match:

Nicolej Krickau, coach SG Flensburg-Handewitt: It was a huge fight from both teams, with two completely different halves. We were too passive in the first half, in the second half I'm very proud of the reaction, the intensity and the fight, that was outstanding, so we're very proud of the second half. We didn't come here for third place, now we're happy we did it.

Kevin Møller, goalkeeper SG Flensburg-Handewitt: It's a shame we didn't deliver this performance in the semi-final, we played really well in the second half. We don't know what happened on Saturday either, because today we showed what we can do. Unfortunately, we didn't learn from last year.

Jaron Siewert, coach Füchse Berlin: We wanted to reward ourselves and our fans with third place. Things looked good at the first half, especially when it came to our attack. Things got too tight too quickly in the second half. We missed clear chances and then Flensburg's goalkeeping quality came into play. We were out of power at the end, making too many technical mistakes because we've lost too much energy. We wanted to give the fans more, now it's time to keep our heads up and look at the Bundesliga and European League, but we have to improve our performance.

The semi-finals:

SC Magdeburg vs Füchse Berlin 30:25 (14:10)

Like in 2022 and 2023 and for the eighth time in total, SC Magdeburg made it to the final. In the first semi of the REWE Final4 in Cologne, second place HBL beat table leader Füchse Berlin 30:25 (14:10). In front of 19,750 fans in the sold-out LANXESS arena in Cologne, the Champions League winner and the European League winner fought a thrilling duel. The match winner for the SCM was, in addition to the eight-time scorer Gisli Kristjansson, goalkeeper Sergey Hernandez, who fended off 15 shots. Berlin's best scorers were the Danes Mathias Gidsel (7) and Lasse Andersson (9).

SG Flensburg-Handewitt vs. MT Melsungen 28:33 (11:16)

The red wall on the stands celebrated their heroes in Cologne: MT Melsungen made it to the final of the REWE Final4 for the second time after 2021. MT, which described themselves as the big underdogs, defeated the favored SG Flensburg-Handewitt. For the four-time cup winners it was the second semi-final defeat in a row after they were eliminated last year against eventual cup winners Rhein-Neckar Löwen. In MT's 33:28 victory, goalkeeper Nebojsa Simic was the hero with 13 saves, while Timo Kastening was Melsungen's best scorer with seven goals. On the other hand, Simon Pytlick (7) and Emil Jakobsen (8) topped the scorer list.

Photo: Klahn