French champions CN Marseille and Croatian giants Jadran Split will contest the 2026 Euro Cup final after dramatic semifinal victories on Friday evening.
Marseille produced a stunning comeback to eliminate Radnicki Kragujevac, overturning a three-goal first-leg deficit with a 16:11 win at home after losing 17:14 in Serbia. Meanwhile, Jadran completed a double victory over BVSC, following up their narrow first-leg success with a 14:12 win in Budapest to book a place in their first European final since 1998.
The Euro Cup final will be played across two legs on May 23 and June 6, with Marseille hosting the opening match.
Marseille storm back to eliminate Radnicki
Marseille entered the return leg trailing by three goals on aggregate but produced a superb second-half performance in front of a packed home crowd.
The French side were without head coach Milos Scepanovic, who served a suspension following his red card in the first leg. Assistant coach Marc Amardeilh, who previously guided Marseille to the 2019 Euro Cup title, stepped in and once again led the club into a European final.
Marseille started strongly, racing into a 2:0 lead within the opening four minutes. However, Radnicki goalkeeper Radoslav Filipovic denied Ugo Crousillat from the penalty spot, allowing the Serbian side to remain composed. Former Marseille star Andrija Prlainovic then scored to settle the visitors.
Throughout the first half, Marseille repeatedly moved two goals ahead, but Radnicki always found a response. The visitors equalised at 6:6 in the 15th minute and stayed level on aggregate heading into halftime after Marseille missed a second penalty opportunity.
The decisive spell came in the third quarter. After Prlainovic gave Radnicki their only lead of the match at 8:7, Marseille exploded offensively. A devastating 9:2 stretch between the 19th and 27th minutes completely transformed the tie.
Goals from Alexandre Bouet, Efstathios Kalogeropoulos and company pushed Marseille into control, turning a one-goal deficit into a commanding six-goal advantage on aggregate. Bouet’s late third-quarter penalty made it 13:9 before Konstantin Vapenski briefly restored parity on aggregate with a rapid response.
But Marseille never lost momentum. Three more goals early in the fourth period, capped by Kalogeropoulos converting a penalty after forcing a counterattack foul, effectively sealed qualification at 16:10. Radnicki could only add a late consolation through Nikola Jakšić.
Bouet, Kalogeropoulos and Marko Nagy each scored three goals for Marseille, while Prlainovic led Radnicki with four.
Jadran return to a European final after 28 years
In Budapest, Jadran Split confirmed their place in the final with another narrow victory over BVSC in a fiercely contested match.
The Croatian side controlled much of the encounter, never allowing BVSC to take the lead despite several Hungarian equalisers throughout the game.
Jadran led for almost the entire first quarter and opened up two-goal advantages on multiple occasions. BVSC repeatedly battled back, levelling at 6:6, 7:7 and later 9:9 late in the third period.
However, Jerko Marinić Kragić delivered a sensational individual performance. The experienced Croatian scored seven goals, including a crucial strike 30 seconds after BVSC had equalised at 9:9, giving Jadran a 10:9 lead entering the final period.
The hosts continued to respond in the fourth quarter, equalising at 10:10, 11:11 and 12:12 through Márton Szeghalmi with just over a minute remaining.
But once again Marinić Kragić proved decisive. With 36 seconds left, he fired home from distance to give Jadran a 13:12 lead and effectively end BVSC’s hopes. The Hungarian side pushed forward with seven field players in the closing seconds, but Nardo Skejić punished the gamble by scoring into the empty net to complete a 14:12 victory.
Marinić Kragić finished with seven goals, while Loren Fatović added three for Jadran. Matyas Mészáros scored four times for BVSC.
The result sends Jadran into their first European final since the 1998 LEN Trophy, as the two-time European champions continue their impressive return to the continental stage.
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