Following the conclusion of the
Last 16 and quarter-finals, the VELUX EHF Champions League has reached the
semi-final stage – with three French teams and defending title holders HC
Vardar to contest the trophy. From France, Paris Saint-Germain Handball, HBC
Nantes and Montpellier HB qualified for the VELUX EHF FINAL4 in Cologne, where
Vardar will aim to become the first team ever to defend a title won under the
FINAL4 format.
The knock-out stage, consisting
of six Last 16 matches and four quarter-finals, began at the end of March and
finished on April 29, during which the top 16 teams were reduced to the best
four via a two-leg home-and-away playing system. As winners of their respective
group phase sections, PSG and Vardar booked passage straight to the quarter-finals,
while the remaining teams met for the Last 16.
The Last 16 saw several
surprises, with Danish club Skjern Handbold eliminating 2015 and 2016 finalists
Telekom Veszprém (61:59), and Montpellier HB knocking out record Champions
League title holders FC Barcelona (56:55).
In the other Last 16 ties, German
side THW Kiel beat Hungarian team MOL-Pick Szeged 56:50 on aggregate, and 2016
Champions League winners PGE Vive Kielce (Poland) defeated Rhein-Neckar Löwen
from Germany 77:47. HBC Nantes won 60:52 versus Belarusian HC Meshkov Brest,
while German squad SG Flensburg-Handewitt beat Swedish team IFK Kristianstad
53:46.
Skjern, Montpellier, Kiel,
Kielce, Nantes, Flensburg, PSG and Vardar therefore proceeded to the
quarter-finals, also played in a two-leg home-and-away format, from which the
aggregate winner qualified for the semi-finals. PSG and Nantes set up the
clearest advantages in their first-leg quarter-finals, with both carrying a
six-goal lead into the second-leg. PSG took a second win versus Kielce to claim
a 69:60 aggregate victory, while Nantes’ second-leg draw versus Skjern was
enough for them to qualify with a 60:54 aggregate result.
After Montpellier managed a 28:28
draw in the first-leg quarter-final in Flensburg, they were also in a strong
position with the prospect of the home second-leg. The French side earned a
much more dominant victory than expected, beating the 2014 Champions League
winners 29:17 to win 57:45 on aggregate. Between Kiel and Vardar, the
quarter-final was tight throughout the entire 120-minute encounter. Vardar won
the first leg away 29:28, while Kiel were victorious in the second, 28:27. With
a level aggregate result of 56:56, Vardar were the team to celebrate the FINAL4
qualification based on more goals scored away.
The line-up for the VELUX EHF
FINAL4 2018 demonstrates the increased strength of the French men’s league,
after PSG were the first from France to qualify for the event in 2016. No other
nation has ever been represented by three clubs at the FINAL4. The FINAL4 will
be played in LANXESS arena, Cologne, Germany on May 26 and 27.
Photo: EHF