The thrills and drama of the best Euro Winners Cup finals
Through the years we’ve seen some exceptional finals in the Euro Winners Cup, so let’s take a look at some of the best finals to date…
Women’s Euro Winners Cup 2016 – BeachKick Berlin 4-5 Grasshopper Club Zurich
The first Women’s Euro Winners Cup final in 2016 was a classic between German club, BeachKick Berlin and Swiss side, Grasshopper Club Zurich.
BeachKick Berlin had the advantage after 12 minutes had been played in Catania, as Gabriel and Neue each saw their shots ripple the back of the opposition net, for a 2-0 lead heading into the first interval.
Despite the early setback for the trailing Swiss side, they demonstrated incredible resilience throughout the second period as they levelled the scoring after finding the net twice – courtesy of Corenlia and an own goal from Scalfer.
The start of the third and final period saw the German team regain their lead, but their opponents had other ideas with Grashopper Club Zurich slamming the ball home three consecutive times to lead for the first time at a crucial time, and a late goal for BeachKick Berlin wasn’t enough to take the match to extra-time.
It was a monumental day for Grasshopper Club Zurich, as they became the first club to win the Women’s Euro Winners Cup.
Euro Winners Cup 2016 – Viareggio BS 6-6 BSC Artur Music (Viareggio BS win 7-6 on penalties)
The final of the men’s competition in Catania, Italy saw Viareggio BS take on BSC Artur Music, as both teams were to make their first appearances in a Euro Winners Cup final.
It was a strong start for the Ukrainian side in the match as Rysenko and Stankovic struck to give them a two-goal advantage in the match. However, goals from Ozu and the Euro Winners Cup 2016 top scorer, Gori brought the sides back on level terms.
With BSC Artur Music headed to victory with a 6-4 lead, third period strikes from Ramaciotti and Marinai, for Viareggio, sent the match to extra-time. After the additional three minute period, the match was decided on penalties as the Italian club triumphed to lift the trophy.
Women’s Euro Winners Cup 2019 – Playas de San Javier 3-3 Madrid CFF (Playas San Javier win 2-0 on penalties)
An all-Spanish encounter set the stage for the fourth Women’s Euro Winners Cup final as a fourth club became champions, on the Portuguese sands.
The deadlock was broken in the match by Sara Tui to give Playas de San Javier the advantage in the first period, but Madrid CFF equalised at the end of the second period through Alba Mellado.
The final period in Nazaré was a spectacle, as both sides gave it their all. The advantage was regained by Playas de San Javier moments into the third period, through Carol Glez., as Madrid CFF were back on level terms minutes later as Alba Mellado completed a Euro Winners Cup final brace. Andrea Mirón made the score 3-2, but the Madrid based team refused to go out without a fight as Ana Lucía Martínez’s goal sent the match to extra-time, and eventually the fixture went to penalties.
A 2-0 penalty-shootout victory saw Playas de San Javier write their name in the history books as the first Spanish team to win the Women’s Euro Winners Cup and the fourth winners of the competition.
Euro Winners Cup 2021 – BSC Kristall 6-3 SC Braga
The two most dominant forces in Euro Winners Cup history went head-to-head in Nazaré, as the rivalry between BSC Kristall and SC Braga continued, as they met in the Euro Winners Cup final for the third time in four years. With both clubs level with three titles each heading into the fixture and both each having one victory over one another in Euro Winners Cup finals, it was all to play for in the match that would decide who would capture continental glory for the fourth time.
It took until the second period for scoring to get started in the record-breaking match, as Mauricinho scored a brace for the Russian club and SC Braga secured two goals of their own through Rafa Padilha and Léo Martins.
Kristall asserted their dominance in the final phase of play striking four more times, whilst Braga scored once. The Russian team became the first team to win four Euro Winners Cup titles, and currently remain the only club to do so.
Women’s Euro Winners Cup 2022 – Terrassa-Bonaire BSW 5-3 Playas de San Javier
Third place finishers at the Women’s Euro Winners Cup 2021, Terrassa Bonaire faced the Euro Winners Cup 2019 winners, Playas de San Javier in the 2022 final.
Cris Gonzalez had a wonderful opening period for Terrassa Bonaire, slamming home a brace to bring her side back from losing positions on two occasions, as the Euro Winners Cup 2019 champions found two goals of their own in the period, leaving the scores level after the first period came to a close.
Playas de San Javier had the advantage in the second period with Andrea Mirón putting them ahead with less than four minutes played in the period, on course to becoming the first two-time Women’s Euro Winners Cup champions with 12 minutes to play in the final.
In spite of trailing by a goal, the third period produced a twist, as Terrassa Bonaire produced an emphatic comeback as they found the net three times without a response from their opponents to win the Women’s Euro Winners Cup for the first time.
This year’s competitions are sure to provide incredible matches like these, as the Euro Winners Challenge begins on the 7th June and concludes on 13th June, with Euro Winners Cup action starting with the men’s competition kicking off on 9th June and the women’s tournament beginning on 10th June, with both competitions ending on 16th June.