CSM Bucuresti won third place at the EHF FINAL4 in Budapest with a victory over Brest
CSM Bucuresti concluded its appearance in the EHF Champions League Women 2025/26 on the podium, after defeating Brest Bretagne Handball 32:26 in the third-place match of the Raiffeisen Bank EHF FINAL4 2026. The match was played on 7 June 2026 at the MVM Dome in Budapest, and the official report of the European Handball Federation states that the Romanian team had a 15:13 lead at half-time. Brest entered the final stage as the home team on the match sheet, so the final score was recorded as 26:32 in favour of CSM Bucuresti. For the club from Bucharest, this was a strong response after the defeat in the semi-final and confirmation that the final weekend of the season nevertheless ended with a European medal. The EHF announced that CSM thereby took third place in the Champions League for the third time in the club’s history, after the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons.
The bronze-medal match is often played in demanding circumstances, because it comes less than 24 hours after the semi-final disappointment and requires a quick mental adjustment. In this case, CSM, according to the official EHF report, found the balance earlier between defence, goalkeeper saves and effective attack. Brest had periods of good rhythm, but failed to maintain the continuity with which it could have more seriously threatened the Romanian advantage in the closing stage. CSM’s depth stood out in particular, as the team continued to control the match even after the injury to first goalkeeper Gabriela Moreschi. The final six-goal difference clearly showed that the team from Bucharest had more energy, composure and solutions in the decisive minutes.
CSM held the lead and withstood Brest’s comeback attempt
According to the EHF match report, CSM had a four-goal advantage in the 24th minute, 13:9, thereby setting the tone for the first half. Brest managed to move closer before the break, but Crina Pintea, with a goal right at the end of the first period, restored the Romanian team’s two-goal lead. That goal was also psychologically important, because CSM went into the dressing room with a sense of control despite Brest’s pressure. In the second half, the French team had to chase the result, while CSM could play more patiently and use its physical strength in duels on the line and in the back court. In that balance of forces, Brest did not find enough easy goals to take the match into an uncertain finish.
The official EHF data singled out Clarisse Mairot as Brest’s top scorer with 11 goals from 15 attempts, while Elizabeth Omoregie led CSM with eight goals from 11 shots. Omoregie was one of the key drivers of the Romanian side’s attack, especially in the phases when it was necessary to respond to Brest’s pressure. Alongside her, Tatjana Brnović had an important role, scoring three goals from three attempts in the first half according to the EHF, and then adding two more goals after the break. Brnović was also important in defence, where CSM tried to deny Brest space for cooperation with the line player and reduce the number of clear chances. On the other side, Brest depended too much in attack on individual solutions, which proved insufficient against CSM’s physically strong defence.
CSM’s goalkeepers marked the victory
One of the most important details of the match was the performance of Gabriela Moreschi and Evelina Eriksson in CSM’s goal. The EHF stated in its report that Moreschi had 10 saves with a 35.7 per cent save rate before her knee injury in the 42nd minute. Her exit could have been the moment in which Brest took the initiative, but Eriksson collected five saves in the final twenty or so minutes with 38.5 per cent and maintained CSM’s stability. Such a contribution from the bench was an important indicator of the team’s depth, but also of concentration in a situation that could have changed the course of the match. Brest goalkeeper Camille Depuiset also had a notable performance with 14 saves, but that was not enough for the French team to turn the match around.
In statements published by the EHF, Moreschi emphasised after the match that she was proud of the way CSM reacted after the semi-final defeat. She pointed out that the team showed strength of character and professionalism at a moment when there was still an opportunity for a medal. Inger Smits also, according to the EHF’s presentation of the statements, spoke about the quick change of focus after the failure in the semi-final and about the decision to treat the third-place match as a new opportunity. Such reactions confirm that CSM managed in Budapest to avoid a common problem of final tournaments: an emotional drop after a lost chance to reach the final. Instead, the Romanian side played the match with clear energy and enough discipline to deservedly win third place.
Brest did not find enough energy after the dramatic semi-final
Brest Bretagne Handball entered the third-place match one day after a 30:31 defeat to Györi Audi ETO KC in the semi-final, while CSM had lost the day before to Metz 27:32. The schedule of the final weekend, according to the official EHF announcement, provided for the semi-finals on 6 June and the medal matches on 7 June, which means that all four teams had to play two matches of the highest level in two days. In that context, Brest especially felt the consequences of the later and very demanding semi-final against the defending champion. Coach Raphaëlle Tervel, in statements published by the EHF, said that her team did not have enough energy to stop the physically strong CSM. She added that Brest tried to change solutions in attack and defence, but that this time it was not enough.
Tervel also emphasised that her players did not give up, which was visible in the comeback attempts during the first half and in the fighting spirit until the end of the match. Still, Brest missed too much and struggled to create clear situations when CSM raised the intensity in the duels. Yvette Petraki, according to the EHF statements, linked part of the problem to the energy spent in the semi-final and the fact that the final tournament is extremely demanding for the body and concentration. Brest’s defeat therefore does not diminish the fact that the French club reached the four best teams in Europe, but it confirms how important it is in the FINAL4 format to recover quickly physically and mentally. In the bronze-medal match, CSM was more successful in that adjustment.
Ana Gros said goodbye to professional handball
The match in Budapest also had special meaning because of the farewell of Ana Gros, the Slovenian right back of Brest Bretagne Handball. The EHF announced that Gros scored two goals in the last match of her career and that she leaves the Champions League with 1,009 goals. That achievement places her fifth all-time in the competition, according to the data stated in the official report. Gros had already earlier this season entered the narrow circle of players with more than 1,000 goals in the EHF Champions League, and her final appearance at the MVM Dome rounded off one of the longest-lasting and most successful individual careers in European club handball. Although the farewell did not happen with a victory, her contribution to Brest and European handball remained one of the important stories of the final day.
According to statements published by the EHF, Gros spoke after the match about strong emotions because she was closing a great chapter of her life. She emphasised that handball had been a large part of her identity, but also that she was grateful for a career in which she achieved what she had dreamed of. Her message to younger players was directed toward perseverance and love for the sport, because handball, as she said, brings experiences and emotions because of which one trains every day. Such a farewell gave the match additional significance beyond the result itself. For Brest, it was also a symbolic end of one stage, because the final tournament marked changes in the team and the professional environment.
Third European bronze for the club from Bucharest
For CSM Bucuresti, third place in the 2025/26 season also has historical weight. The EHF states that the club from Bucharest had previously been third in the EHF Champions League in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons, and in 2016 it won the title of European champion. This season’s return to the EHF FINAL4 came after eight years of waiting, which the official draw preview particularly highlighted as an important element of CSM’s story. Given the ambitions and quality of the squad, the semi-final defeat to Metz was a disappointment, but the victory against Brest prevented the final weekend from turning into a double failure. The bronze was therefore, for the Romanian team, a confirmation of stability at the top of European handball and proof that after a longer pause it can once again compete with the best clubs on the continent.
Coach Bojana Popović, according to the EHF’s presentation of the statements, pointed out that she was proud of the energy the team showed against Brest. She emphasised that such an approach was what CSM wanted to have the day before in the semi-final as well, but that pressure sometimes changes performance. Popović praised the players and the coaching staff for their joint work during the previous months and stressed that the team finished the season as a team. Such a statement well describes the context of the victory for third place: CSM did not achieve its biggest goal, but found a way to end the final tournament with a positive result. In a competition in which the difference between the final and the bronze-medal match often comes down to a few minutes of weaker play, that is an important message for the club ahead of next season.
Metz champion, CSM on the podium, Brest fourth in the season finale
The final standings in Budapest further emphasised the strength of French and Central European club handball. According to the EHF, Metz Handball defeated Györi Audi ETO KC 31:29 in the final and won the EHF Champions League Women for the first time, thereby becoming the first French club with that trophy. Györ finished second, CSM Bucuresti third, and Brest Bretagne Handball fourth. In the official final report, the EHF also stated that the title match in the sold-out MVM Dome was watched by 20,022 spectators, equalling the world record for a women’s club handball match. Although that figure refers to the final, it illustrates the broader significance of the final weekend in Budapest and the growing visibility of women’s club handball.
For Brest, fourth place will be connected with the feeling of a missed opportunity, but also with confirmation that the club has again reached the highest European level. For CSM, on the other hand, the bronze is a result that can serve as a foundation for continuing the project and for an attempt at a new step toward the final. The EHF FINAL4 once again showed how ruthless the final-tournament format is: a defeat in the semi-final must be put aside almost immediately, and a medal is won through the ability to react quickly. CSM Bucuresti was successful precisely in that against Brest. A strong goalkeeping performance, greater physical power, back-court players in good form and a better finish brought the Romanian club a place on the podium of the 2025/26 season.
Sources:
- European Handball Federation – official report of the third-place match Brest Bretagne Handball - CSM Bucuresti 26:32, including the result, half-time score, top scorers and key events of the match (link)
- European Handball Federation – official statements by players and coaches after the matches of the final day of the EHF FINAL4, including comments by Raphaëlle Tervel, Bojana Popović, Inger Smits, Gabriela Moreschi and Ana Gros (link)
- European Handball Federation – official information about the Raiffeisen Bank EHF FINAL4 2026, schedule, venue and results of the semi-finals, third-place match and final (link)
- European Handball Federation – official announcement and confirmation of the schedule of the final tournament of the EHF Champions League Women 2025/26 in Budapest (link)
- European Handball Federation – official report of the final Metz Handball - Györi Audi ETO KC 31:29, including information about Metz’s first title and the context of the final standings (link)