Huge underdogs head to EHF FINAL4 in Cologne

21 May. 2021

Huge underdogs head to EHF FINAL4 in Cologne

The EHF Champions League Men quarter-finals wrapped up on Thursday evening, with two huge surprises upsetting big favourites in the crunch doubleheaders over the last two weeks.

Title holders THW Kiel were eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain Handball, while Aalborg Håndbold clinched their first-ever EHF FINAL4 berth, after disposing of German powerhouse SG Flensburg-Handewitt.

Plucky French side HBC Nantes took control of the doubleheader against Telekom Veszprém HC and never looked back, while Barça cruised to Cologne with two superb wins against HC Meshkov Brest.

There was no shortage of drama as the last eight teams had set their eyes on the trophy, with the biggest surprise surely coming from Aalborg.

The Danish side, who is in the middle of a rebuild and will certainly be one of the teams to watch in the next seasons, having already confirmed the transfer of centre back Aron Palmarsson from this summer on and Mikkel Hansen’s arrival from PSG in 2022, snatched their place, beating SG Flensburg-Handewitt on aggregate.

Aalborg sealed a 26:21 win in the first leg in Denmark, but the second leg was a thrilling affair, with the Danish side taking an early 11:7 lead. Brimming with experience and confidence, Flensburg bounced back in the second half and turned the game on its head, with a 26:20 lead, with 14 minutes to go. 

It was still Aalborg who went through, after a superb comeback, sealed by a goal from Swedish back Felix Claar. Claar scored six times in the 29:33 loss, but his 14 goals combined over the two legs lifted Aalborg to a 55:54 aggregate win.

Aalborg sealed their first-ever EHF FINAL4 berth, becoming only the second Danish team to do so after AG Kobenhavn qualified in the 2011/12 season.

A four-goal win at this stage of the competition is also crucial, as proved by Nantes in the first leg against Telekom Veszprém HC. The Hungarian powerhouse was eyeing a seventh EHF FINAL4 berth in the last eight years, only to come up short against their French opponents.

Nantes won the first leg 32:28 and found themselves in trouble after 45 minutes, only to secure their second-ever EHF FINAL4 berth after a 32:30 defeat, after wing David Balaguer scored six goals.

Nantes’ only EHF FINAL4 appearence was in the 2017/18 season, when they lost the final against another French opponent, Montpellier.

Barça had no trouble beating HC Meshkov Brest, taking a superb 73:57 aggregate win against the Belarussian side, after a 40:28 win in the second leg in Barcelona.

The Spanish side are in the middle of a historic season, winning all their 18 games played by an average of 7.83 goals per game, and are looking more and more like the team to beat.

Barça last won the EHF Champions League Men in the 2014/15 season and this will be the last chance for legendary coach Xavier Pascual to win the trophy with the team he has called home for the past 12 years, as he will depart at the end of the season.

Undoubtedly, the clash of the titans in the quarter-finals pitted reigning champions THW Kiel and French powerhouse PSG Handball together.

Kiel looked to have the upper hand after a convincing 31:29 home win, but PSG were impossible to stop on their home court.

Despite wing Niclas Ekberg and back Sander Sagosen combining for 13 goals, Kiel went behind early and it was impossible to stop PSG, as their pair of backs, Elohim Prandi and Nedim Remili, had 16 goals between them to lift their side to a 34:28 win.

PSG sealed their fifth EHF FINAL4 berth in six years and will also be a strong pick to contend for their first-ever trophy, after losing the 2016/17 final against Vardar.

After THW Kiel won the trophy last season, there will be no German team for the third time in the last four years in Cologne, while two French teams, PSG and Nantes, one Spanish side, Barça, and a Danish team, Aalborg complete the line-up.

The EHF FINAL4 will take place in Cologne for the 12th season in a row on 12 and 13 July, with the semi-final pairings being the subject of a draw.

For more information, visit the EHF Champions League Men website.

Photo: Aalborg Håndbold