Winner of the Champions League in handball with Gyor in 2019, the pivot wants to get the trophy with CSM Bucharest. The Romanian team faces Metz (France) in the semifinals
The competitive year 2025/2026 was by no means a simple one for “Tigroaice”. And this, although they started in the best possible way, winning the Romanian Supercup in August after the final with CSM Gloria 2018 Bistrița-Năsăud (40-39). And tomorrow (Saturday, June 6, at 4 p.m.), they will play the semi-final of the Champions League, in Budapest, against Metz (France).
Last fall, CSM Bucharest had Adrian Vasile as their head coach, but he left after a series of failures in the Champions League. Having been in the club for more than a decade, Iulia Curea provided the interim, and in mid-December 2025, Bojana Popovic was installed. With her at the helm, CSMB regained its confidence, becoming a much more combative team. The Bucharest team qualified for the Final Four of the Champions League in Budapest. What saved a competitive year in which CSMB lost the title of champion to Gloria Bistrița, in Bucharest, and was eliminated by CS Rm. Vâlcea in the “quarters” of the Romanian Cup.
Extremely experienced player, Crina Pintea (36 years old) contributed to the successes in the main continental competition. And the pivot was jubilant after the crushing victory (37-27) against Team Esbjerg (Denmark), in the quarter-finals. Especially since it was achieved in front of a team that eliminated CSMB three times in the last five years. “It’s the most beautiful victory in my career. It’s incredibly beautiful. I waited a long time, years. There were disappointments in a row. When we’re on the right day, we can do miracles. That’s what happened today. Everyone played very well. We were all super connected,” Pintea said then.
He thanked the fans for their support
Originally from Podul Turcului (Bacău county), but trained as a handball player in Zalău, the player who wears the number 77 on her shirt spoke about the importance of this qualification in the “box of aces”: “This is what we train for. This is what we want. This is the feeling. I felt that we were going to qualify. I told everyone out loud. I knew. It was an extremely long season. We lost the championship, The cup, and it’s hard for us to have qualified for the Champions League. I want to thank the fans, even when we didn’t bring them joy. I have faith in my colleagues.
Appointed the best handball player in Romania in 2019, Pintea didn’t forget Cristina Neagu either: “I missed her. I needed her advice. It would have been nice if she felt this joy too. She deserved to get there.”
Pintea: “If we play with heart we will succeed”
CSMB had some luck in the draw in that they avoided Gyor (Hungary), the big favorites for the Champions League. The Bucharest team lost to Metz in the semifinals, and Crina Pintea declared herself confident: “When you’re in the Final Four, it’s hard to say who you want to play with. If we play as we’ve done so far… If we play with our heart and head, we’ll succeed,” said the one who was declared the best pivot in the Champions League in 2018 and 2019. She also emphasized the role Popovic had in the team’s relaunch: “A lot has changed since Bojana came. It was a big chance for us. She’s a very good coach. She showed us how much we can do. She brought out the best in us.”
He extended his contract with CSMB in the winter
Before the 2025/2026 competitive year ends, CSM Bucharest announced that Emma Friis and Crina Pintea have extended their contracts. The first signed an agreement for two more years, the other for one competitive year. “The extension of the contracts of the two players reflects the mutual trust and the common desire to build together to achieve all the objectives, both in domestic competitions and in the EHF Champions League”, announced the group from the Capital.
CSM Bucharest, masterful qualification in the ace box of the Champions League. “Tigreaicele”, in the Final Four, after 8 years
Considered by the club to be “a pillar of stability and strength in the defensive line, but also a benchmark of efficiency in the offensive phase”, Crina Pintea declared at that time: “With CSM Bucharest I had important experiences and performances in recent years and I chose to continue this way because I still feel the responsibility, the desire and the fire to fight. For the team! For the club! For me!”.
Of course, Bojana Popovic had a word to say when this decision was made: “It is a very important step for the club and for the team that Emma Friis and Crina Pintea have extended their contracts with the CSM family. Both players bring exceptional handball skills and the valuable experience necessary for our club to achieve its goals. I am excited about everything that follows and happy that I will continue to have the opportunity to work with them.”
Iulia Curea has 24 trophies with CSM Bucharest!
A major contribution to the qualification of CSM Bucharest in the Final Four of the Champions League, this year, was also made by Iulia Curea. She came to the group from the capital of Romania in 2014, being involved in its success as a player until 2020. The extreme left won the Champions League in 2016, with CSMB, was a finalist in 2010 and took 3rd place in 2017 and 2018, with Oltchim Rm. Vâlcea. Internationally, at the level of club teams, he won the EHF Champions Trophy and the Cup of Cups in 2007. Domestically, he won 11 championship titles, 7 Cups and 5 Supercups of Romania. Shortly after hanging up her boots, Iulia was co-opted into the technical staff as second coach, a position from which she won 4 championship titles, 4 Cups and 4 Supercups of Romania. Of all his trophies (38) 24 were won with the Capital group.
Bojana has great confidence in her players
As she comes from an area of Europe (former Yugoslavia) where fighting power is characteristic of the people there, Bojana Popovic (46 years old) also inspired the players from CSM Bucharest. And as she triumphed 6 times in the Champions League (2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012) as a player, the Montenegrin hopes to win the trophy also as a head coach (she did, but as a second). “I really think we have a great chance to do something great. Many girls will leave after this final tournament. And they want to succeed together. The motivation and energy in training is always at the highest level,” Bojana told the EHF website.
CSM Bucharest wants the Champions League after a decade of waiting. He found out his opponent in the semifinals
Handball Champions League (Women)
Final Four – Budapest
Semifinals
Saturday, June 6, 2026
16.00: CSMB – Metz (France)
19.00: Brest (France) – Gyor (Hungary)
Sunday, June 7, 2026
Match places 3-4
16.00: The losers of the semi-finals
The final
19.00: Semi-final winners
The matches are broadcast by Digi Sport and Prima Sport
