Facts and figures about HSV Hamburg

It was a Cinderella story for HSV Hamburg: On Friday the German side arrived at Cologne as the underdogs, on Sunday evening at 20:25 hrs. local time they were handed over the VELUX EHF Champions League trophy after two superb matches in the semi-final against THW Kiel and the thrilling final against FC Barcelona Intersport (30:29 after extra-time).

Here are the most important facts and figures about the club and their way on top of the podium for the first time in club history.

The club was founded in 2002 as the successor of VfL Bad Schwartau and adopted the name of the HSV football club, which won the European Champions Cup in football (forerunner of the UEFA Champions League) in 1983.

In 2006 HSV won their first domestic title, becoming German Cup winner, 2010 they raised this trophy again – the biggest success on German court was becoming German champions for the first time in 2011.

In 2007 HSV lifted their first international trophy: After two highly close finals against Ademar León (Spain) Hamburg became Cup Winners’ Cup winner. Four players of this team were on the podium in Cologne on Sunday: Pascal Hens, Stefan Schröder, Mathias Flohr and Torsten Jansen.

In the 2007/08 season HSV qualified for the first time ever for the EHF Champions League – and directly made it to the semi-finals, but lost against eventual winner Ciudad Real (Spain). The same opponent was the final destination for HSV in the 2008/09 and 2010/11 season – always in the semi-finals.

After SC Magdeburg (2002) and THW Kiel (2007, 2010, 2012) HSV Hamburg is the third German club to win the EHF Champions League.

For four HSV players the LANXESS arena now is the “temple of success”: On 4 February 2007 Johannes Bitter, Pascal Hens, Torsten Jansen and Michael Kraus became world champions in Cologne after a final German victory over Poland, including their current teammate Marcin Lijewski.

Lijewski is the first ever Polish player to win the EHF Champions League.

Martin Schwalb is the first German coach ever to  win the EHF Champions League. Alfred Gislason (Magdeburg 2002, Kiel 2010 and 2012) is Icelander, while 2007 THW Kiel were coached by Noka Serdarusic (Croatia).

HSV are the first team in the history of the competition to make it from the qualification to the podium.

Only two of in total 166 matches of this VELUX EHF Champions League season (including qualification) were decided in extra-time. Both times HSV Hamburg were the winners: They beat host St. Raphael (France) in the final of the Wild Card Tournament 32:31 and FC Barcelona Intersport in the final match of the season 30:29.

The season balance from Group Phase on of HSV: 13 victories – 2 draws – 3 defeats, goal difference 503:445, only THW Kiel scored more goals in this season (518).

The semi-final against THW Kiel (39:33) was the match with the fourth biggest number of goals in the 2012/13 season (72). In only those three matches more goals were scored: THW Kiel – Sävehof IK 43:34 (77), Kadetten Schaffhausen – Füchse Berlin 35:40 (75) and SG Flensburg-Handewitt – Montpellier MAHB 37:37 (74). And this semi-final set a new record regarding goals in a VELUX EHF FINAL4 event (since 2010): The previous record score were 70 goals, scored in the 2010 final of THW Kiel vs. FC Barcelona (36:34).

HSV right wing Hans Lindberg became the second consecutive Dane to become VELUX EHF Champions League top scorer. The two times EHF EURO champion (2008, 2012) scored 101 goals – and goal number 101 was the winner’s goal in the final. In 2012 Mikkel Hansen (AG København) had been top scorer by 98 goals.

Lindberg now is on the best way to become “triple top scorer of this season”. He had already been top scorer of the German Cup competition, now is VELUX EHF Champions League top scorer and is also in lead in this ranking in the German Bundesliga. Two rounds before the end, Lindberg has 228 goals on his tally, followed by Anders Eggert (SG Flensburg-Handewitt, 216 goals), who was the third best VELUX EHF Champions League scorer this season.

To win the VELUX EHF Champions League was the biggest success in the coaching career of Martin Schwalb – but it was already the fourth international trophy he rose: As a player he won the IHF Cup (forerunner of the EHF Cup) twice, 2007 he led Hamburg to the Cup Winners’ Cup. Schwalb is HSV coach since 2005, after becoming German champion in 2011 he intermediately was President and club director, before returning on the bench in March 2012.

HSV will now be the European representative at the IHF Super Globe (club world championship), which will be played in Doha (Qatar) from 25 to 30 August. Second European team are defending champions Atlético Madrid.