Olympiacos lifted the Champions League Women trophy in Malta on Friday night after a breathtaking final full of twists and turns. The Greeks held a three-goal advantage before FTC-Telekom’s relentless attack roared to life in the third period and helped the Hungarians build a two-goal lead in the fourth. Olympiacos refused to surrender, scoring the final two goals in the last 80 seconds to force a shootout, where reserve goalkeeper Britt van den Dobbelsteen produced three sensational penalty saves to secure the club’s fourth European crown. Earlier, Sant Andreu took home the bronze after edging domestic rivals Mataro in another thriller.
2025/26 Champions League Women
Final 4, Finals
Friday 12 June
Gold Medal Game
Olympiacos SFP (GRE) *17-14 FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN)
(4-3, 3-2, 3-6, 4-3, 3-0P)
Bronze Medal Game
Assolim CN Mataro (ESP) 9-11 CN Sant Andreu (ESP)
(2-2, 2-4, 3-3, 2-2)
Gold Medal Game
Olympiacos SFP (GRE) *17-14 FTC Telekom Waterpolo (HUN)
(4-3, 3-2, 3-6, 4-3, 3-0P)
Olympiacos began the final in commanding fashion as Abby Andrews and Christina Siouti struck superb perimeter goals in the opening two minutes.
The Hungarians, with many players appearing in their first-ever Champions League final, seemed slightly overwhelmed by the magnificent atmosphere created by the two large sets of fans.
Both sides missed a woman-up before Noa de Vries opened FTC’s account with a spectacular catch-and-finish from centre.
Still, the Greeks continued to roll, with Vasiliki Plevritou converting a six-on-five and Foteini Tricha adding another goal from action for a 4-1 lead.
Greta Gurisatti responded immediately with an action goal and, after some fine defending, FTC launched three counterattacks, with only the third resulting in a goal as Gurisatti made no mistake with a penalty.
Olympiacos then missed an extra before the buzzer and their advantage was down to a single goal after eight minutes (4-3).
FTC could have equalised early in the second period, but missed their first six-on-five, while Siouti’s brilliant lob beat both the expiring shot clock and the goalkeeper for 5-3.
Rita Keszthelyi then unleashed a long-range effort before Vasiliki Plevritou restored the Greeks’ two-goal cushion following back-to-back turnover fouls.
Still, FTC stayed within touching distance. Their own Plevritou, Eleftheria, also scored from action to make it 6-5.
A sequence of hectic exchanges followed and a change in the Hungarian goal – Alexandra Kiss entered after the sixth Olympiacos goal – appeared to affect the Greek shooters, whose efforts increasingly missed the target, including from a six-on-five.
FTC, however, could not capitalise despite creating several promising opportunities as Ioanna Stamatopoulou produced save after save, and had reached nine by half-time.
She needed to be at her best as the shots-on-target count stood at 14-8 in FTC’s favour at the break.
Nevertheless, Olympiacos held a 7-5 lead after Eirini Ninou fired a pinpoint shot under the bar with 41 seconds remaining in the half.
The Greeks earned a penalty immediately in the third period to move three goals clear and, after successfully killing another woman-down, appeared firmly in control.
Perhaps too firmly, as FTC soon found another gear. Captain Gurisatti caught fire, scoring twice, while Tamara Farkas added another as the Hungarians levelled at 8-8 in the space of just 1:40.
Olympiacos called a time-out, but their next six-on-five didn’t even produce a shot.
FTC, meanwhile, also called a time-out and converted their own six-on-five, once again through Gurisatti, to take their first lead of the match at 8-9.
Aussie ace Andrews responded in style. With her team-mates clearing the path in front of her, the lethal left-hander struck twice in 38 seconds to swing the momentum back in Olympiacos’ favour.
Yet Eleftheria Plevritou also delivered a huge finish with 1:29 remaining to make it 10-10.
That looked set to be the third-period score as FTC’s final extra was running down.
Gurisatti had other ideas, sending an extraordinary curling lob into the net from almost on the sideline to hand FTC a 10-11 lead heading into the final quarter.
She doubled the advantage 68 seconds into the fourth from a penalty – her seventh goal of the evening.
Ninou replied immediately from a six-on-five, before two minutes of fierce defensive battles followed.
FTC missed several chances, while Olympiacos repeatedly turned the ball over in attack, before Andrews found another clean finish to level the score at 12-12 with 4:44 left on the clock.
Keszthelyi then bundled in a rebound and, after Andrews sent an effort wide, Bea Ortiz struck from the perimeter to stretch FTC’s lead to 12-14 with 3:20 remaining.
Olympiacos struggled to find solutions and Kiss came up with a rare save to deny them. FTC still held a two-goal advantage and had possession of the ball as the final two minutes began.
However, the Hungarians became increasingly passive, while Olympiacos forced a woman-up and Andrews arrowed in her fifth goal of the night with 1:20 remaining.
Eleftheria Plevritou’s long-range attempt was then comfortably gathered, giving the Greeks a chance to level with 49 seconds left following a time-out.
It was not the most composed attack, but with two seconds left on the shot clock they managed to feed the ball into centre and earned another six-on-five.
Once again the execution was far from perfect, but Stefania Santa drove to the post from the right wing and somehow dunked the ball home from close range with one second of the attack remaining.
The equaliser arrived with just 13 seconds left.
FTC opted for a seven-on-six after their second time-out and Plevritou took the final shot, but the blocks held firm and the title would be decided by penalties.
And the Olympiacos bench produced the ultimate coaching masterstroke.
After spending both the semifinal and final on the bench, reserve goalkeeper Britt van den Dobbelsteen was sent in for the shootout – the same specialist role she fulfils for the European champion Dutch national team.
She proved decisive, stopping three penalties in succession from Ortiz, Szilagyi and Plevritou.
Olympiacos missed one attempt themselves, but with van den Dobbelsteen shutting the door at the other end, Siouti converted in the fourth round to seal the contest and secure a fourth Champions League trophy for Olympiacos.
Bronze Medal Game
Assolim CN Mataro (ESP) 9-11 CN Sant Andreu (ESP)
(2-2, 2-4, 3-3, 2-2)
For the first time in four years, and only for the third occasion in the last 13 editions, no Spanish teams managed to reach the grand final.
Sant Andreu and Mataro both had their chances, but after losing their respective semifinals, they had to settle for the bronze medal match – which also offered a replay of their domestic league final.
There, Mataro edged Sant Andreu to claim the Spanish title. However, there were doubts as to whether the bronze medal encounter here would fully re-energise either side, and the intensity of the opening eight minutes suggested both teams were still carrying the disappointment of their semifinal defeats.
Mataro made the brighter start and moved 2-0 ahead midway through the first period, but Sant Andreu fought back to level before the end of the quarter, while their rivals squandered a six-on-four before the buzzer.
Nona Perez’s sneaking ball found the back of the net in the final second of Sant Andreu’s possession early in the second period, while Mataro continued to struggle with their extras.
Robin Jutte then tipped the ball in to convert a second-chance opportunity in a six-on-five for 2-4.
Sant Andreu were on a 0-4 run, but Jewel Roemer halted it by converting a penalty, and Silvia Morell equalised 50 seconds later with Mataro’s first successful woman-up.
The other left-hander, Ariadna Ruiz, also found the net from an extra to raise the temperature of the contest, but the pace soon slowed again as more measured action followed.
Then, 14 seconds before the half-time buzzer, the other Ruiz sibling, Elena, fired home from the perimeter to hand Sant Andreu a 4-6 advantage.
The third period opened with a feast of woman-up goals, with two apiece arriving in less than three minutes.
Mataro then earned a penalty during an extra and Roemer converted for 7-8.
The Spanish champions then had a couple of promising opportunities to draw level, but failed to take them.
Sant Andreu, meanwhile, lost some composure in attack and missed two six-on-fives.
Their scoreless run was entering its fifth minute when Jutte sent the ball through a sea of arms from action to restore the two-goal cushion with 28 seconds remaining in the period.
It then took Mataro just 90 seconds of the fourth quarter to tie the game.
Roemer and Tilly Kearns produced fine finishes to make it 9-9. They even had a chance to take the lead, but a weak shot and the ensuing counterattack resulted in a penalty for Sant Andreu.
A challenge from Dani Ballart, over an alleged earlier violent action, led to a lengthy VAR review that significantly delayed the attempt.
The interruption proved enough to unsettle the shooter and Mariona Terre saved Elena Ruiz’s penalty.
Mataro had a six-on-five to move ahead, but the play broke down. Sant Andreu responded with a six-on-four, which also went to a VAR review after the initial shot appeared to be blocked by a defender.
Mataro scored on a one-on-one, although the ball had never returned to the 2m line, meaning the goal would not have counted in any case.
After reviewing the sequence, the referees awarded a corner, ruling the goalkeeper was the last to touch the ball.
Sant Andreu’s second attempt was well defended, and the score remained locked at 9-9 entering the final three minutes.
Mataro also earned a six-on-five and took a time-out, but the pass into the centre lacked precision.
Then, with 1:22 on the clock, Elena Ruiz delivered a pinpoint finish to convert Sant Andreu’s next woman-up for their first goal of the fourth period.
Mataro ran out of ideas in the closing stages and failed to capitalise on their next possession, while Queralt Anton converted another extra with 20 seconds remaining to seal the outcome.
Sant Andreu scored 11 goals for the fourth consecutive Champions League match and, after three successive 11-11 draws – two in the quarterfinals and one in the semifinals – this time 11 goals were enough to secure victory in regular time.
The result also earned them another medal, their third in a row, following a third-place finish in 2024 and the title in 2025.
At the same time, Mataro remain without a victory on the second day of a Final Four tournament.
This was their third defeat in three editions – after finishing runners-up in 2023, they placed fourth in 2024 and again this year.
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Gergely Csurka for European Aquatics
