EHF Finals Women 2024
Unprecedented season leads Storhamar to EHF European League success
Storhamar Handball Elite celebrated their first international title when they won the EHF European League Women 2023/24 at the EHF Finals Women in Graz.
The trophy win for the Norwegian club was also the first for any team from the Scandinavian nation in the EHF’s second-tier European cup competition.
Storhamar had never reached the semi-finals in any competition before, with their biggest successes qualifying for the European League quarter-finals in 2021/22 followed by the EHF Champions League play-offs in 2022/23.
To clinch their maiden European title, Storhamar earned a 29:27 victory over CS Gloria 2018 BN in the final. While Storhamar’s Anniken Obaidli and Kristin Venn stood out with high goal counts, at nine and eight, respectively, goalkeepers were the star of the final. CS Gloria’s Renata Arruda made 13 saves against Storhamar’s Eli Marie Raasok, with 12.
Having previously made 11 saves in the semi-final, Brazilian international Arruda was named MVP of the EHF Finals Women 2024. Obaidli secured the season’s top scorer award, with 68 goals from the start of the group phase on.
Storhamar’s epic semi-final win over Neptunes Nantes, 28:27, saw Abaidli and Guro Nestaker contribute nine goals apiece. Nantes took the lead and did not relinquish it until the final buzzer was in sight. The French team led 16:12 at half-time and had their last four-goal advantage with 15 minutes remaining, before Storhamar reduced the difference, levelled thanks to Nestaker with just over 60 seconds to go, then clinched the win off Venn with under 30 seconds remaining. The lead snatched in the last seconds was Storhamar’s first since 1:0 at the start.
CS Gloria took a convincing victory in their semi-final, beating H.C. Dunarea Braila 37:26 and scoring 20 goals in the first half alone.
The placement match needed a penalty shootout to decide the winners, with Nantes ultimately taking a 39:38 victory. Nantes had led throughout the match before Braila came back to force the shootout. Floriane Andre made the crucial save that secured Nantes’ victory.
Prior to the final, CS Gloria had not lost one game in the season. They were also the only team of the four semi-finalists directly seeded for the group phase, with Nantes, Storhamar and Braila starting in the qualification. Braila and Storhamar both went on to win their groups, as did CS Gloria in group C, where Nantes placed second.
The four semi-finalists won both legs of their quarter-final ties for clear aggregate wins, with Braila knocking out Podravka Vegeta, CS Gloria eliminating Motherson Mosonmagyarovari, Storhamar beating Thüringer and Nantes defeating Sola HK.
