2021–22 EHF European League

The 2021–22 EHF European League was the 2nd edition of the EHF European League, the second most important European handball club competition organised by the European Handball Federation (EHF).

EHF European League
2021–22
Tournament information
SportHandball
Dates28 August 202129 May 2022
Teams52 (qualification stage)
24 (group stage)
Websiteehfel.com
Final positions
ChampionsPortugal SL Benfica
Runner-upGermany SC Magdeburg
Tournament statistics
MVPSpain Sergey Hernández
Top scorer(s)Serbia Petar Đorđić
Croatia Halil Jaganjac
(123 goals)

Benfica became the first ever Portuguese team to win the trophy and the second non-German side to win the competition since 2004.[1]

Qualifying rounds

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First qualifying round

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A total of 32 teams were involved in the first qualifying round. The first leg matches were held on 28–29 August 2021, while the second leg matches were held on 4–5 September 2021.[2] The draw was held in EHF office in Vienna.[3]

The results of this round were:[4]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Bjerringbro-Silkeborg   49–48   Ystads IF 22–23 27–25
HC Kriens-Luzern   42–60   SL Benfica 24–31 18–29
RK Celje Pivovarna Laško   58–65   GOG Håndbold 33–29 25–36
Grupa Azoty Unia Tarnów   51–60   RK Nexe 23–28 28–32
RK Vojvodina   49–54   Kadetten Schaffhausen 26–20 23–34
Csurgói KK   51–58   HC Dobrogea Sud Constanța 23–27 28–31
Górnik Zabrze   48–57   ØIF Arendal 19–29 29–28
Aguas Santas Milaneza   54–60   BM Logroño La Rioja 26–26 28–34
Balatonfüredi KSE   47–47   HK Malmö 27–25 20–22
Azoty-Puławy   66–46   MRK Sesvete 29–21 37–25
HC Prolet 62   50–63   Fraikin BM Granollers 21–36 29–27
Maccabi Rishon LeZion   49–58   HC CSKA 26–29 23–29
Rhein-Neckar Löwen   80–44   Spor Toto SK 38–22 42–22
RK Trimo Trebnje   59–60   TTH Holstebro 31–25 28–35
RK Poreč   39–44   Valur 18–22 21–22
Alpla HC Hard   55–66   Fenix Toulouse Handball 23–27 32–39

Second qualifying round

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A total of 24 teams were involved in the second qualifying round draw, 16 advancing from the previous round and 8 teams entering this round. The first leg matches were held on 20–21 September., while the second leg matches were held on 27–28 September.

The results of this round were:[5]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Kadetten Schaffhausen   68–60   Fraikin BM Granollers 36–33 32–27
Valur   47–54   TBV Lemgo 26–27 21–27
Rhein-Neckar Löwen   59–64   SL Benfica 31–31 28–33
BM Logroño La Rioja   61–58   CB Ademar León 34–30 27–28
Fenix Toulouse Handball   59–49   HK Malmö 30–24 29–25
GOG Håndbold   57–51   Mors-Thy Håndbold 30–24 27–27
Azoty-Puławy   53–65   Füchse Berlin 24–32 29–33
USAM Nîmes Gard   65–58   HC CSKA 36–29 29–29
Orlen Wisła Płock   45–40   HC Dobrogea Sud Constanța 25–14 20–26
Bjerringbro-Silkeborg   59–59   RK Nexe 33–27 26–32
Sporting CP   62–53   TTH Holstebro 31–25 31–28
ØIF Arendal   49–67   PAUC 27–27 22–40

Group stage

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Seedings

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The 24 teams were divided into six pots of four teams, with a team from each pot being drawn to each group. Teams from the same country could not be drawn into the same group.[6]

Pot 1 Pot 2 Pot 3 Pot 4 Pot 5 Pot 6

Tiebreakers

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Teams were ranked according to points (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss), and if tied on points, the following tiebreaking criteria were applied, in the order given, to determine the rankings:

  1. Points in matches among tied teams;
  2. Goal difference in matches among tied teams;
  3. Away goals scored in matches among tied teams;
  4. Goal difference in all group matches;
  5. Goals scored in all group matches;
  6. If more than two teams were tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams were still tied, all head-to-head criteria above were reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
  7. Drawing lots.

Group A

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ORL FUC FEN BID TAT WIN
1   Orlen Wisła Płock 10 9 0 1 311 258 +53 18 Knockout stage 24–28 33–29 33–26 33–29 35–27
2   Füchse Berlin 10 8 0 2 314 269 +45 16 29–30 32–30 35–23 36–23 35–29
3   Fenix Toulouse Handball 10 6 1 3 292 265 +27 13 24–30 28–27 26–26 34–20 34–27
4   Bidasoa Irun 10 3 1 6 286 286 0 7 28–29 32–35 24–26 33–24 32–28
5   HT Tatran Prešov 10 2 0 8 240 308 −68 4 15–29 23–27 19–31 27–25 29–33
6   Pfadi Winterthur 10 1 0 9 271 328 −57 2 23–35 27–30 27–30 23–37 27–31
Source: EHF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group B

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification GOG BEN NAN LEM COC CHE
1   GOG Håndbold 10 7 1 2 340 297 +43 15 Knockout stage 39–38 29–29 34–28 46–30 27–26
2   SL Benfica 10 7 1 2 336 311 +25 15 25–33 31–30 35–30 37–23 38–35
3   HBC Nantes 10 5 3 2 304 266 +38 13 27–24 33–33 27–28 36–25 10–0[a]
4   TBV Lemgo 10 5 2 3 319 312 +7 12 39–35 29–30 37–37 39–30 30–27
5   Cocks 10 1 1 8 257 331 −74 3 23–34 32–37 28–40 29–29 27–33
6   Chekhovskiye Medvedi 10 1 0 9 239 278 −39 2 32–39 27–32 31–35 28–30 0–10[b]
Source: EHF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ^ The match was cancelled because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7][8]
  2. ^ The match was cancelled because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7][8]

Group C

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification MAG SAV NEX GOR LOG PAU
1   SC Magdeburg 10 9 1 0 317 267 +50 19 Knockout stage 31–25 32–26 34–24 33–31 31–27
2   IK Sävehof 10 6 0 4 313 297 +16 12 26–29 33–23 27–28 43–31 33–31
3   RK Nexe 10 5 0 5 295 300 −5 10 24–28 39–31 31–23 31–30 33–29
4   RK Gorenje Velenje 10 4 1 5 284 306 −22 9 27–31 31–35 34–28 32–31 33–32
5   BM Logroño La Rioja 10 3 1 6 307 317 −10 7 29–29 29–30 31–30 31–26 33–26
6   PAUC 10 1 1 8 290 319 −29 3 28–39 25–30 29–30 26–26 37–31
Source: EHF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Group D

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification NIM EUR KAD SPO AEK GRU
1   USAM Nîmes Gard 10 5 2 3 290 274 +16 12 Knockout stage 25–23 33–33 33–27 26–27 24–22
2   RK Eurofarm Pelister 10 5 2 3 271 248 +23 12 21–26 27–26 31–25 30–19 33–20
3   Kadetten Schaffhausen 10 4 3 3 282 277 +5 11 25–25 28–28 26–24 30–26 32–26
4   Sporting CP 10 5 1 4 290 279 +11 11 32–30 27–27 29–28 31–30 34–26
5   AEK Athens HC 10 4 0 6 274 283 −9 8 34–30 27–30 28–31 25–24 34–26
6   Grundfos Tatabánya KC 10 3 0 7 254 300 −46 6 30–38 25–21 31–23 23–37 25–24
Source: EHF
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Knockout stage

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The pairings for the last 16 and the quarterfinals are based on group stage standings, according to the following bracket. This assures teams from the same group can only play each other again in the final four.

 
Last 16Quarterfinals
 
          
 
29 March/5 April
 
 
3D
  Kadetten Schaffhausen
322860
 
26 April/3 May
 
2C
  IK Sävehof
2634 60
 
3D
  Kadetten Schaffhausen
312253
 
29 March/5 April
 
1A
  Orlen Wisła Płock
3335 68
 
4B
  TBV Lemgo
282856
 
 
1A
  Orlen Wisła Płock
3128 59
 
 
29 March/5 April
 
 
3C
  RK Nexe
292251
 
26 April/3 May
 
2D
  RK Eurofarm Pelister
2621 47
 
3C
  RK Nexe
323769
 
29 March/5 April
 
1B
  GOG Håndbold
2737 64
 
4A
  Bidasoa Irun
283159
 
 
1B
  GOG Håndbold
3033 63
 
 
29 March/5 April
 
 
3B
  HBC Nantes
253358
 
26 April/3 May
 
2A
  Füchse Berlin
2430 54
 
3B
  HBC Nantes
252853
 
29 March/5 April
 
1C
  SC Magdeburg
2830 58
 
4D
  Sporting CP
293564
 
 
1C
  SC Magdeburg
2936 65
 
 
29 March/5 April
 
 
3A
  Fenix Toulouse Handball
383068
 
26 April/3 May
 
2B
  SL Benfica
3436 70
 
2B
  SL Benfica
362763
 
29 March/5 April
 
4C
  RK Gorenje Velenje
2927 56
 
4C
  RK Gorenje Velenje
293059
 
 
1D
  USAM Nîmes Gard
2235 57
 

Last 16

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The last 16 first legs were scheduled for 29 March 2022, while the second legs followed on 5 April 2022.[9]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Kadetten Schaffhausen   60–60 (a)   IK Sävehof 32–26 28–34
TBV Lemgo   56–59   Orlen Wisła Płock 28–31 28–28
RK Nexe   51–47   RK Eurofarm Pelister 29–26 22–21
Bidasoa Irun   59–63   GOG Håndbold 28–30 31–33
HBC Nantes   58–54   Füchse Berlin 25–24 33–30
Sporting CP   64–65   SC Magdeburg 29–29 35–36
Fenix Toulouse Handball   68–70   SL Benfica 38–34 30–36
RK Gorenje Velenje   59–57   USAM Nîmes Gard 29–22 30–35

Quarterfinals

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The quarterfinals first legs were scheduled for 26 April 2022, while the second legs followed on 3 May 2022.[10]

Team 1 Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score Team 2 1st leg 2nd leg
Kadetten Schaffhausen   53–68   Orlen Wisła Płock 31–33 22–35
RK Nexe   69–64   GOG Håndbold 32–27 37–37
HBC Nantes   53–58   SC Magdeburg 25–28 28–30
SL Benfica   63–56   RK Gorenje Velenje 36–29 27–27

Final four

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The 2021–22 EHF European League Finals was played on 28 and 29 May 2022 in Lisbon, Portugal and comprise one leg semifinals, final and a third place game.[11] The pairings for the semifinals were decided by drawing of lots.[12][13]

Bracket

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SemifinalsFinal
 
      
 
28 May
 
 
  SC Magdeburg34
 
29 May
 
  RK Nexe29
 
  SL Benfica40
 
28 May
 
  SC Magdeburg39
 
  Orlen Wisła Płock19
 
 
  SL Benfica26
 
Third place
 
 
29 May
 
 
  Orlen Wisła Płock27
 
 
  RK Nexe22

Semifinals

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28 May 2022
16:00
SC Magdeburg   34–29   RK Nexe Altice Arena, Lisbon
Attendance: 2,114
Referees: Mažeika, Gatelis (LTU)
Musche 8 (18–13) Jaganjac 7
  4×  Report  6× 

28 May 2022
18:30
Orlen Wisła Płock   19–26   SL Benfica Altice Arena, Lisbon
Attendance: 3,201
Referees: Horváth, Marton (HUN)
Szita 4 (8–10) Đorđić 9
  3×  1×  Report   5× 

Third place game

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29 May 2022
16:30
Orlen Wisła Płock   27–22   RK Nexe Altice Arena, Lisbon
Attendance: 2,249
Referees: Mitrevski, Todorovski (MKD)
Mihić 5 (14–13) Pribetić 5
  2×  1×  Report   1× 

Final

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29 May 2022
19:00
SL Benfica   40–39 (ET)   SC Magdeburg Altice Arena, Lisbon
Attendance: 5,055
Referees: Brunner, Salah (SUI)
Rahmel 11 (15–14) Magnússon 12
  8×  1×  Report   6× 

FT: 32–32 ET: 8–7

Top goalscorers

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Rank Player Club Goals[14]
1   Petar Đorđić   SL Benfica 123
  Halil Jaganjac   RK Nexe
3   Mohammad Sanad   USAM Nîmes Gard 122
4   Jerry Tollbring   GOG Håndbold 104
5   Ole Rahmel   SL Benfica 99
6   Bjarki Már Elísson   TBV Lemgo 98
7   Samuel Zehnder   Kadetten Schaffhausen 92
8   Simon Pytlick   GOG Håndbold 80
9   Fahrudin Melić   RK Nexe 79
10   Agustín Casado   BM Logroño La Rioja 78
  Sergei Kosorotov   Orlen Wisła Płock

References

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  1. ^ "Borges fulfills Benfica's title dream in thriller". EHF. 29 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  2. ^ "EHF European League Men 2021/22 Seeding" (PDF). EHF. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Celje vs GOG clash headlines the first qualification round draw". EHF. 20 July 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Qualification Round 1". EHF. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Qualification Round 2". EHF. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Six pots for group phase draw revealed". EHF. 29 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Decision on upcoming EHF CL and 2022 Qualifiers". EHF. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  8. ^ a b "EHF decision on current competition structures". EHF. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  9. ^ "Last 16". EHF. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Quarter-finals". EHF. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Lisbon chosen as destination for EHF Finals Men 2022". EHF. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  12. ^ "EHF Finals hosts Benfica play Plock; Magdeburg meet Nexe". EHF. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  13. ^ "Finals". EHF. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  14. ^ Goalscorers
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