Raiffeisen Bank EHF FINAL4 flash quotes: Friday 5 June
BUDAPEST - Comments from players and coaches at media calls on Friday at the team hotel, ahead of the Raiffeisen Bank EHF FINAL4 2026 semi-finals.
BREST BRETAGNE HANDBALL
Raphaëlle Tervel (FRA) – head coach
On her emotions:
“I win this Champions League with Györ as a player, as a coach also, so when I’m here normally I’m here with a green shirt, and with a green heart. I don’t miss any (EHF) FINAL4 as a spectator, and I was always cheering Györ, so it will be the first time in all my life that I will not cheer Györ but I will cheer Brest.
“The emotions will be a very special thing. But of course we are really not the favourites in this game, but we are able to beat Györ. For sure, like all the teams here we want to win the championship, and we know that it will be very close and very difficult.
“We had a lot of time to prepare this game, and we work a lot of different things, and we will see.”
On her team, and Györi Audi ETO KC:
“We prepare a lot of things, in attack, in defence, a lot of different things, to try to find the best way to beat Györ in offence or in defence. It’s clear that we have a lot of plans.
“Györ also has a lot of big players, and we have Anna (Vyakhireva) for sure who is unpredictable, but Dione (Housheer) on the other side is the same. Of course more experience on Györ’s side than on our side.
“I think both teams are very prepared to beat here the other one.”
CSM BUCURESTI
Bojana Popovic (MNE) – head coach
On their goals for the weekend:
“We are very happy that we get the chance now to be here this weekend. We had one long month behind, and we prepared the semi-final very well. We will see tomorrow which level it will be. These games are always about the mental part, so I hope the girls will be ready.
“We have so many experienced player but some of them didn’t catch this (EHF) FINAL4, so I really hope that they will put this emotion on the right place so that we can survive this start of the game, because this is most important. I know this from experience, that some girls we need to push this adrenaline down so they don’t get tired fast.
“We don’t want to make any pressure, because it’s so nice to be here. They just need to enjoy and play the handball because they love the handball, not because they are just here to win something. In the end, of course, if you get this attitude and you really play like a team, we can do something big.”
On the spirit she brings to the team:
“I don’t think about this, because it’s me. I work in this way. What I put in them it’s just that they believe more in themselves, for the first, and I give them a little bit more opportunity to build up something around them, and then also to build up also this team self-confidence.
“What I could feel is that they really play like a team. This is the most important now at this moment to use all players and to be there in those two days like a team. In the end, this can give results.
“They find out this, and they start to really believe in each other and they are starting to be mentally stronger. For tomorrow this is most important.”
Emma Friis (DEN) – left wing
On being at the EHF FINAL4 for the first time:
“I'm happy and super excited also, I'm happy about finally feeling this atmosphere here and being around the team to do this together. I'm super happy about that. I also dream of winning the Champions League, but I think as a person, I need to take everything in so at this moment I'm really happy just to be here and to feel the environment.”
On having Bojana Popovic as a coach:
“ I'm very happy about Bojana. I think she really helped us this season, and I'm also happy to have her as an assistant coach on the national team. So I know her good now, and, I think she's a role model for all of us here on the team, and we respect her so much.”
On CSM's poor record against semi-final opponents Metz Handball:
“I think when I look back, last season we had two very equal games also against Metz, so I don't feel scared or unmotivated because I think we actually match each other really good. We just need to be prepared very good. We know it's a super good team and we will do our best to succeed tomorrow.”
Evelina Eriksson (SWE) - goalkeeper
On the possibility of leaving CSM on a high with the trophy in Budapest:
“It's very important. I think already for us, making it to the (EHF) FINAL4 is a perfect ending of my four years in Bucharest, so it's really important, and if we can finish it in the best way, I would be more than proud.”
On using her experience:
“I'm trying to be very calm, to be someone that they feel secure around, and in the end, it's just two handball games. It's a huge stage and everything, but it's games that we played before, so just trying to make them calm, calm the nerves a little bit and hopefully it will work.”
On whether her teammates have questions about her previous experience of winning the Champions League:
“More about the stories, like, ‘What happened when you were here last time? How was this? How was that?’, so it's also very nice that they're curious and want to know and I think I'm sharing the good memories, at least.”
On CSM losing their last five matches against semi-final opponents Metz Handball:
“Personally, it doesn't bother me. It happens. Someone has to win, someone has to lose. Of course, we're looking into this game against Metz that we want to win this one. There's no other option. Let's say it's for motivation instead.”
Györi Audi ETO KC
Per Johansson (SWE) – head coach
On being the favourites:
“It should be a pleasure to have the favourite, because I think we always will be. It is a privilege, because people think you are good and we have been good. We are also realistic that we know that we play three other teams who are on a really high level.”
On playing Brest Bretagne Handball in the semi-final:
“Brest is unpredictable, they have players like Anna Vyakhireva who is the best woman player ever in women’s handball; they have also (Meline) Nocandy who is also maybe like our Estelle (Nze Minko) and our Bruna (de Paula), they are very unpredictable.
“They are complete. Their first line is like our first line. Maybe we have a little bit bigger bench than they have. This you never know, if that will be the decisive thing. But a deadly opponent.”
On missing several players:
“We more missed them in the beginning, because we had to find a player to replace Estelle, or replace Kari (Brattset Dale), etcetera.
“But now we don’t miss them because we focus on the one who is here.”
Anna Lagerquist (SWE) – line player
On retiring after the Raiffeisen Bank EHF FINAL4:
"I feel right now like I'm just more focused on the games, but I think in the back of my head I know it's my last two games. But I try to focus more on being here in the moment, and I'm sure maybe on Sunday the feelings will come even more.
“I think I just try to be here in the moment, like I said, and to just enjoy this last weekend and hopefully get the best weekend and the best end of this season and the career in the [best] possible way."
On being the favourites at the EHF FINAL4 and the possibility of making the fans happy for one last time:
"That is a big dream. It would be amazing and I think also seeing how our team has fought really hard this season and worked, like all the hard work we have put in, it would be amazing if we could once again lift the trophy and to get the good finish of this season. We will do everything we can this weekend, and it would of course be an amazing ending."
On the support from the stands from the Györ fans:
"We always feel the support of our fans, especially at home in our arena, but also on every away game we have amazing fans who show up every game. And I think also this weekend there will be a lot of green jerseys in the audience.
“We are so grateful and thankful for our fans and they're always supporting us. And of course, we also want to give back to them and give back to ourselves also for this season. We want to go for three out of three trophies."
On her support:
"I have family and friends coming, so it will be nice also to know that they are up there, cheering and supporting, and also to share this moment, the last moment in the career."
Kristina Jörgensen (DEN) – centre back
On being the favourites:
“It's pressure, but it's also a good feeling. It gains confidence that people believe in us. I think we show before, and it's also because there is pressure that we show that we can be on the top, and we want to deliver this again. We just need to work really hard, and it will be a hard weekend. It's four really good teams, but we worked hard, so we want to show that also.”
On being undefeated at the MVM Dome since 2023:
“When we play here in Hungary, it's amazing to play in the Dome in front of a lot of green fans. I think, we just need to gain this confidence that we didn't lose since 2023, and we come here to win. We come to win the two games, and we want to do anything for this and take all the confidence we can from the past.”
On her final matches in Györ's shirt at the EHF FINAL4:
“That's always a part of being a handball player and the handball career to move clubs, and I'm just really grateful for the two years I got in Györ and, and mostly about the relations I built, how people had effect on me and how I can learn from my experience with Györi and with the staff and how it is to be in the biggest club in the world and how much I grow as a person also with this experience.”
On the semi-final against Brest Bretagne Handball:
“I think it'll be a really tough match, Brest come here as French champions. They were the first in their group in the Champions League, so they played a really good season. They have a lot of amazing players, and we do as well, so I think it will be a really exciting game, and it depends on the small details, margins that will lead to the victory.
“We will do anything for it, and I'm happy that I'm with Györi here and to play in front of this big arena, and we worked hard all year, so I hope it will show off.”
METZ HANDBALL
Emmanuel Mayonnade (FRA) – head coach
On aiming to reach the final:
“Every season before the (EHF) FINAL4 we try to give everything to be ready on the good timing, but all the time we miss the most important match of the season. I really hope that something will change this season.
“We are not French champions, this is one of the first times, because Brest is champion now, so maybe something is different also for us. We come here, I don’t want to say without big expectations, but we lost two, three, four times this season. The last season, we didn’t lose one match before we came here before the (EHF) FINAL4.
“Now we know we lost against Györ two times, we lost against Brest, so everything is possible. Before we tried to organise everything for the FINAL4, this season we tried to change two things or three things to say maybe we didn’t do a good job before so we have to change.”
On the semi-final against CSM Bucuresti:
“They have a good team, they have good pillars, they have a good coach, good coaches. They know almost everything about the Champions League. We try to get a long video meeting to be ready, to prepare almost everything.
“Of course the style of the teams are not the same. We look faster than the opponent, maybe they look stronger than us, so we have to find a good balance.
“We just have to play. I just hope that we’ll be ready to fight if CSM want to do it.”
Sarah Bouktit (FRA) - line player
On making the EHF FINAL4 again:
“It’s the third year in a row for the club, so that shows that we’re one of the best clubs in Europe and that we can be counted among the best clubs in the Champions League.”
On their season:
“In the past few years we’ve also had great seasons with very few defeats, but in the end we finished fourth. It gives us confidence because we won big matches, but we can’t rely too much on that because we know it’s always different when we’re here.”
On their semi-final opponents, CSM Bucuresti:
“They’re a very good team who had a difficult start to the season, but after they changed their coach they became a more formidable team and barely lost a match. I think it will really be a huge match, they’re a great semi-final opponent, like everyone in the Champions League.
“I don’t think there’s a favourite, it will be 50:50.”
On whether they think about the previous years’ defeats in Budapest:
“A little bit, because we want to get past the semi-finals and it’s already been four times that we’ve failed.
“But it’s a different year, we’ve totally changed the team, so we’ll try to get past it and tell ourselves it’s different.”
On whether having two French teams in the Raiffeisen Bank EHF FINAL4 adds something extra:
“We’re happy if we pass them in the corridor, because they’re friends or mates, but honestly on the court, French or not, that doesn’t change anything. We want to win in any event.”
Johanna Bundsen (SWE) – goalkeeper
On being one of the most experienced players within the squad, but also a debutant at the EHF FINAL4:
"For me it's my first time at the FINAL4, so I'm not so experienced about this, but I'm just trying to be me and to do what I'm good at. Just to try and have this calmness in me somehow, and I will not change who I'm just because of this weekend. I'm still the same person and the same goalkeeper, I will just try to be here with my other experiences and try to enjoy the time with my team."
On being a dream come true to be at the EHF FINAL4:
"It’s always been a dream to play the FINAL4, so it's a dream come true for me, but I'm not happy with just being here, as I want to perform and play good handball and to play for these medals. I'm really excited about what's coming over the next two days."
On playing the last two matches in Metz's shirt:
"Right now, I'm not thinking about that these will be my last matches with Metz, I'm just trying to enjoy the moment, be here and play handball. For me, it's more about performing and hopefully playing good and we will see how far that goes."
On her quality season on a personal level:
"I'm very happy to be at Metz Handball since the season didn't start as we expected, but it turn out to be a good solution for me and I'm very happy for being here and to experience a new league in France. I'm actually really happy with the season and I want to end it in a good way also."
