After nearly seven months of competition, the group phase of the 2021/22 season of the EHF Champions League Men is finally over, with 6,408 goals having been recorded over 107 games for an average of 59.89 goals scored per game, slightly lower than the 60.2 goals per game average from last season.

Four teams have directly progressed to the quarter-finals – the top two placed sides in each group – with the Danish, German, Polish and Spanish champions earning safe passage, while another eight teams qualified for the play-offs.

While Barça secured the trophy without dropping a single game and building an otherworldly 20-game winning streak last season, this time around, the competition was more balanced and the final standings were determined only after the last round.

In Group A, Aalborg Håndbold proved that last season was no fluke and they are still among the favourites to secure an EHF FINAL4 berth come June. A four-game winning streak to end the group phase was enough for the Danish champions to clinch first place in the group with 22 points, one more than perennial contenders THW Kiel.

Kiel and Aalborg shared wins on home court, but the German side dropped a crucial point at home after a 32:32 draw against Pick Szeged and moved to second place. However, it was just enough for Filip Jicha’s side, who won the trophy two seasons ago, to progress to the quarter-finals.

After a strong start in the group, Montpellier could only muster two points from their final five games and dropped to fourth place, leapfrogged by Hungarian champions Pick Szeged. HC Vardar 1961 won their last four games in a row, spurred by a coaching change that saw David Davis take over the North Macedonian side and finished fifth, while Elverum Handball came in sixth, taking the last play-off berth.

HC PPD Zagreb, who lost the tiebreaker against Elverum after being tied at eight points, and HC Meshkov Brest were eliminated.

In Group B, the most balanced group of the competition, four powerhouses clashed for the two quarter-final berths and it was Łomża Vive Kielce and reigning champions Barça who finished on the top two places.

Kielce and Barça were tied at 20 points, but the Polish champions beat the Spanish powerhouse twice to hold the tiebreaker and win the group.

With a win in the last round, Paris Saint-Germain Handball could have leapfrogged one of the top two teams – but they lost their match against Telekom Veszprém HC 39:40 in a high-octane shoot-out, finishing third as Veszprém came in fourth.

FC Porto and SG Flensburg-Handewitt also progressed to the play-offs, while Dinamo Bucuresti and HC Motor Zaporozhye were eliminated, finishing at eight points each, two behind Flensburg.

The top scorer of the competition so far is Aalborg’s back Felix Claar with 81 goals, followed closely by Barça’s Dika Mem and Dinamo’s Raul Nantes Campos, with 78 goals each.

The EHF Champions League Men will be back in three weeks’ time, with the play-off double-headers, which feature some mouthwatering clashes.

While Veszprém and PSG Handball are favourites against HC Vardar 1961 and Elverum Handball, the matches between FC Porto and Montpellier and Flensburg and Pick Szeged will definitely bring excitement to the table.

EHF Champions League Men play-offs 
First leg – 30/31 March, second leg – 6/7 April

M01: SG Flensburg Handewitt (GER) vs Pick Szeged (HUN)
M02: Elverum Handball (NOR) vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA)
M03: FC Porto (POR) vs Montpellier HB (FRA)
M04: HC Vardar 1961 (MKD) vs Telekom Veszprém HC (HUN)

EHF Champions League Men quarter-finals 
First leg – 11/12 May, second leg – 18/19 May

Winners M04 vs Aalborg Håndbold (DEN)
Winners M03 vs Łomża Vive Kielce (POL)
Winners M02 vs THW Kiel (GER)
Winners M01 vs Barça (ESP) 

For more information on the EHF Champions League Men, visit eurohandball.com. 

Header photo: Tomasz Fąfara/Łomża Vive Kielce