14:57
What a spectacular season it was for Magdeburg: they played the Champions League for the first time since the sensational triumph in 2002 and the Bördestadt team was the only German representative among the top four teams! With a bit of luck, the SCM ended up in what was supposed to be a somewhat easier preliminary group, knew how to convince here and sometimes even excelled. Especially in the duels against Veszprem and Paris, the Wiegert squad showed strong performances, so that in the end a sensational second place after the group phase was recorded. The Red-Greens were able to skip the playoffs and were straight into the quarter-finals, where they defeated the Polish representative from Plock by a hair’s breadth in two tight games.
14:48
Recently there was always excitement when Europe’s handball elite came to the summit meeting: The sensational victory in Kielce 2016 in a seven-meter throw against Veszprem should be highlighted, for example, after the Poles had equalized a nine-goal deficit. But the victories in Montpellier and Skopje also had a lot of drama, last-minute goals and top-class handball. The goalkeepers, in particular, took center stage over the weekend and often became match winners.
14:39
It’s the last games of the season, it’s about nothing less than the European handball crown. The dream of many teams, the big goal of the season is to reach the Final Four. Everything is possible here, as a look at the last few years shows, in which numerous top teams fought for the coveted trophy. Seven different squads have been able to raise their “arm” in the last ten years. Barcelona have been able to defend their title for the first time in the past two years. One thing is clear, the teams have to surpass themselves, then anything is possible in Cologne!
14:30
Hello and welcome to the Final Four of the Handball Champions League! In the first semi-final, SC Magdeburg and the defending champions Barcelona face off. The throw-off is in Cologne’s Lanxess Arena at 3:15 p.m.!