Eight powerhouses progress to quarter-finals of EHF Champions League Men

09 Apr. 2021

Eight powerhouses progress to quarter-finals of EHF Champions League Men

Big surprises are not usually the norm in the EHF Champions League Men, but French outfit HBC Nantes produced one of the biggest ones in recent years after eliminating Lomza Vive Kielce in the play-off stage of the competition.

Aside from Kielce, favourites have fared well in the past two weeks, with reigning champions THW Kiel setting up a superb quarter-final against PSG Handball, after both sides recorded two wins each in the play-off stage.

In a season to forget for MOL-Pick Szeged, the Hungarian side recorded their worst result in years, after conceding 10 losses in 16 games. The last two came against reigning champions THW Kiel, who secured two identical wins (33:28) in the play-offs, progressing to the quarter-finals with a 66:56 aggregate win.

PSG Handball also had little trouble proceeding to the next phase of the competition, after cruising to a 68:47 aggregate win against Slovenian outfit RK Celje Pivovarna Laško. PSG’s 21-year-old French left wing Dylan Nahi scored 17 goals in the doubleheader, including a personal best 10-goal outing in the first leg.

Since the current format was introduced in the 2009/10 season, no other team has clinched a doubleheader with a bigger aggregate difference than Barça against Elverum Handball in this season’s play-offs. The Spanish powerhouse is now on a 16-game winning run, after drubbing the Norwegian champions 76:44 on aggregate. The previous record was held by Lomza Vive Kielce, 77:47 against a second-string Rhein-Neckar Löwen side in the Round of 16 in the 2017/18 season.

With the top scorer of the competition, right back Alex Dujshebaev, unexpectedly quiet, Lomza Vive Kielce was the highest-profile victim of the play-off phase. After winning the first leg against HBC Nantes 25:24, Kielce collapsed on their home court, despite leading late in the second half. HBC Nantes took a 34:31 win, with veterans Kiril Lazarov and Valero Rivera combining for 14 goals in the second game.

While SG Flensburg-Handewitt progressed to the quarter-finals after being awarded two 10:0 wins, due to COVID-19 cases at HC PPD Zagreb, there was another tie in the play-offs that finished on a knife’s edge. 

After securing a 32:29 win at home against Aalborg Håndbold, FC Porto were also leading, 17:16 with 15 minutes to go, in the away leg. However, the Portuguese side collapsed entirely in the last minutes, with right wing Antonio Areia missing two crucial shots, including a penalty, as Aalborg progressed to the quarter-finals after a 56:56 aggregate draw, due to more away goals scored – 29 as opposed to FC Porto’s 24.

In an old-school battle, Telekom Veszprém HC edged out HC Vardar 1961, handing the former title holders a 80:57 drubbing, with Egyptian back Yahia Omar scoring 10 times, while HC Meshkov Brest erased HC Motor’s 32:30 win from the first leg to seal a maiden quarter-finals berth after a 60:55 aggregate win against the Ukrainian side.

The quarter-finals will be played over two legs, on 12 and 13 May as well as on 19 and 20 May, with the winners progressing to the EHF FINAL4 Men 2021 in Cologne.

EHF Champions League Men – Play-offs
M01: HBC Nantes (FRA) vs Lomza Vive Kielce (POL) 58:56 on aggregate
M02: MOL-Pick Szeged (HUN) vs THW Kiel (GER) 56:66 on aggregate
M03: HC Motor (UKR) vs HC Meshkov Brest (BLR) 55:60 on aggregate
M04: FC Porto (POR) vs Aalborg Håndbold (DEN) 56:56 on aggregate, Aalborg progresse due to more away goals scored
M05: HC PPD Zagreb (CRO) vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) 0:20 on aggregate, Flensburg were awarded two 10:0 wins, due to COVID-19 cases at Zagreb
M06: Elverum Handball (NOR) vs Barça (ESP) 44:76 on aggregate
M07: RK Celje Pivovarna Laško (SLO) vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) 47:68 on aggregate
M08: HC Vardar 1961 (MKD) vs Telekom Veszprém HC (HUN) 57:80 on aggregate

Quarter-finals 
HBC Nantes (FRA) vs Telekom Veszprém HC (HUN)
THW Kiel (GER) vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA)
HC Meshkov Brest (BLR) vs Barça (ESP)
Aalborg Håndbold (DEN) vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) 

Photo: TeamPics/PSG