Nantes Stuns Barcelona, Secures Third Place at EHF Final4 2025

Nantes secured a decisive victory over Barcelona, winning 30:25 (14:9) in the third-place game of the EHF Champions League Final4 tournament held in 2025. This marks a significant win for the French side, ending a long-standing losing streak against the Spanish giants.

Match Highlights

The match, played on June 15, 2025, saw Nantes maintain a lead throughout the entire 60 minutes. Key to Nantes’ success was Croatian goalkeeper Ivan Pešić, who delivered an outstanding performance with 14 saves. Odriozola led the scoring for Nantes with six goals, while Melvin Richardson, in his final match for Barcelona before moving to Wisła Płock, scored eight goals for the losing side.

Team Performance

HBC Nantes: Pešić (14 saves), Biosca; Odriozola 6, Rivera 4/2, Abdi 4, Tournat 4, Briet 3, Lagarde 3, Minne 2, Bos 2, Leopold 2, Yoshida, Bonnefond, Avelange Demouge, Ovnicek, Gaber.

FC Barcelona: Nielsen (9 saves), Gerard (1 save); Richardson 8/3, Mem 5, Gomez 4/2, Wanne 2, N’Guessan 2, Carlsbogard 1, Arino 1, Rodriguez 1, Bazan, Bazan, Janc, Makuc, Palomino, Frade, P. Cikusa.

Qualification for Quarter-Finals

While Nantes celebrated their third-place finish, other teams had already secured their spots in the quarter-finals. Füchse Berlin, leading Group A, qualified after defeating Dinamo Bucharest 27-21. Aalborg too advanced, benefiting from Veszprem’s defeat in Kielce (35-36). Magdeburg and FC Barcelona had previously solidified their positions as the top two teams in Group B, having dominated Szeged 35-27 in a match featuring Ludovic Fabregas and Timothey N’Guessan, though Dika Mem was sidelined due to injury.

Looking Ahead

The EHF Champions League continues to showcase high-level handball competition, with teams vying for a place in the knockout stages. The performance of Nantes demonstrates the growing strength of French handball on the European stage.