Italian side De Akker Bologna have been crowned the first-ever men’s Conference Cup champions, defeating Honved 17:14 in the final in Athens with a decisive second-half performance.
Final
Honved 14–17 De Akker (4:4, 4:4, 3:4, 3:5)
De Akker: Lucci 4, Milakovic 4, Bragantini 3, McFarland 3, Campopiano 1, Painter 1, Erdely 1
Honved: Moskov 5, Ekler 4, Vickovic 2, Kevi 2, Simon 1
Coming into the final, Honved held the psychological edge, having beaten De Akker 15:10 earlier in the competition in Montpellier. But when it mattered most, the Italian side delivered a composed and clinical display to turn the tide.
De Akker started strongly, opening up a 3:1 lead in the first quarter, but Honved responded well, eventually moving ahead 8:6 late in the second period. Just before halftime, Balazs Erdelyi brought De Akker level at 8:8, setting up a finely poised second half.
From there, De Akker took control. Midway through the third quarter, captain Kristijan Milakovic converted on the man-up to give his side an 11:9 lead. Honved briefly responded to level at 11:11, but Milakovic struck again before the break to restore De Akker’s advantage at 12:11.
The difference ultimately came in execution. Honved struggled to convert their man-up chances despite earning significantly more exclusions, while De Akker punished key moments. Matteo Bragantini’s long-range lob in the closing minutes extended the lead to 15:12, a decisive blow.
Francesco Lucci then sealed the win with a powerful action goal to make it 16:12 with under two minutes remaining. Honved reduced the deficit late through Moskov, but Lucci added a final goal seconds before the buzzer to confirm a historic 17:14 victory.
De Akker’s balanced scoring and composure under pressure proved the difference, as they etched their name into history as the inaugural Conference Cup winners.
Third-place match
Apollon Smyrnis 15–13 Panionios (4:6, 3:3, 6:2, 2:2)
Apollon: Gardikas 4, Bogdanovic 3, Laskaidis 3, Daube 3, Rompopoulos 1, Solanakis 1
Panionios: A. Bitsakos 3, Gounas 3, Karatzas 2, Suzuki 2, K. Bitsakos 1, Takata 1, Kapetanakis 1
In the bronze medal match, Apollon Smyrnis came from behind to defeat Panionios 15:13 in an all-Greek clash. Panionios led 9:7 at halftime and still held a narrow 11:10 advantage midway through the third quarter.
However, Apollon produced a decisive 3:0 burst in just over a minute to turn the game on its head, moving into a 13:11 lead. Panionios twice reduced the deficit to a single goal in the final period, but Apollon responded each time to secure third place.
The Athens Final Four delivered drama throughout, but it was De Akker who rose above the rest—finishing the job in style to lift the inaugural Conference Cup trophy.
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