28.04.2014, 03:46
Vugrinec, Kiel and Barcelona top the rankings

FEATURE: Facts and figures on the 2014 VELUX EHF Champions League Quarter-finals and the last stop on the way to Cologne

Vugrinec, Kiel and Barcelona top the rankings

Everything is decided, as all four participants for the 2014 edition of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 are confirmed. FC Barcelona, THW Kiel, MVM-MKB Veszprem and SG Flensburg-Handewitt have qualified for the pinnacle event in European club handball.

Read all important facts and figures before the draw on the semi-final draw on Tuesday in Cologne (11.30 hrs. local time, streamed live on ehfTV.com).

0 times SG Flensburg-Handewitt and MVM-MKB Veszprem had been part of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 before.

0 champions of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 have defended their titles – and things will not change in 2014, as defending champions Hamburg are already out after losing their Last 16 tie against Vardar Skopje.

0 teams have qualified for all five VELUX EHF FINAL4 events since 2010.

1 - Veszprem was finalist of the EHF Champions League once – but lost 2002 against SC Magdeburg, led by current Kiel coach Alfred Gislason.

1 - MVM MKB Veszprem is the first Hungarian side to qualify for the VELUX EHF FINAL4. Other “maiden voyage” countries are Russia (Medvedi 2010), Denmark (AG Kobenhavn 2012) and Poland (Vive Targi Kielce 2013).  The remaining teams came either from Spain or Germany.  

2 VELUX EHF FINAL 4 participants are coached by Spaniards: Veszprem (Carlos Ortega) and Barcelona (Xavi Pascual). The remaining teams are coached by Icelandic (Alfred Gislason/Kiel) and Swedish (Ljubomir Vranjes/Flensburg) coaches. Vranjes is the first Swedish coach in Cologne.

2 duels of the four quarter-final pairings were level at the end and had to be decided by the number of away goals: Barcelona vs. Löwen (62:62 – 31:38, 31:24) and Flensburg vs. Vardar 49:49 (24:22, 25:27).

2 times before FC Barcelona played finals of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 against German teams (2010 vs. Kiel and 2013 vs. Hamburg) – and never have the Catalans won. The only title they took was in the 2011 all-Spanish final against Atletico Madrid.

2 times SG Flensburg-Handewitt had been finalist in the EHF Champions League finals - but the Northern Germans have not won the title after their defeats against Celje (2004) and Kiel (2007)

2 teams of the 2013 VELUX EHF FINAL4 have made it again to Cologne: Barcelona and Kiel. Kielce and defending champions Hamburg were eliminated in the Last 16.

3 Icelandic left wing Gudjon Valur Sigurdsson will have his fourth VELUX EHF FINAL4 with his third club: In 2011 he was in Cologne with Rhein Neckar Löwen, in 2012 with AG Kobenhavn and 2013 and 2014 with THW Kiel. “Goggi” has yet to win the trophy in Cologne.

3 times has two German teams been part of the VELUX EHF FINAL4 before: 2011, when Hamburg and Füchse both missed the final, 2012 when Kiel won after beating Füchse in the semi-finals and 2013, when Hamburg won the trophy after a semi-final win over Kiel.

3 times THW Kiel won the EHF Champions League (2007, 2010, 2012).

4 times both THW Kiel and FC Barcelona have been participants at the VELUX EHF FINAL 4. While Barcelona took the trophy once in 2011, Kiel won the title in 2010 and 2012.

5 times Siarhei Rutenka has won the EHF Champions League to date, 2004 with Celje, 2006, 2008 and 2009 with Ciudad Real and 20111 with Barcelona. If Rutenka wins his sixth individual title, the Belarusian would join the two legendary goalkeepers Tomas Svensson and David Barrufet, who also have six trophies to their name.

7 times FC Barcelona won the EHF Champions League title; five straight times from 1996 and 2000 as well as 2005 and 2011.

16 goals were scored by Uwe Gensheimer (Rhein Neckar Löwen) against FC Barcelona, making him the top scorer of the round, but 14 came in the first leg.

18 goals (65:47) were the biggest difference ever scored in a quarter-final of the VELUX EHF Champions League quarter-finals since the implementation of the current playing system in the 2009/10 season. This result was scored by THW Kiel against Metalurg, followed by 14 goals in the 2010/11 pairing HSV Hamburg vs. Chekhovskie Medvedi (75:61) and 13 goals in the 2012/13 season by Kielce vs. Metalurg (53:40).

25 points from 14 matches by THW Kiel is the best record of the four teams to reach Cologne, followed by Barcelona with 24 points, ahead of Veszprem on 23 and 21 for Flensburg.

95 goals were scored by Renato Vugrinec so far to lead the top scorer ranking of the VELUX EHF Champions League. The right back is ahead of Momir Ilic (Veszprem - 81) and Gasper Marguc (Celje - 79).  Ilic is the only of the top three who can add to his tally in Cologne.

98 goals was the lowest number of all current quarter-final pairings, scored by Flensburg and Vardar Skopje.

124 goals were scored by Löwen and Barcelona in their quarter-finals to top the number of goals in this round.

355 goals conceded gives Veszprem the best defence of the four VELUX EHF FINAL4 participants after 14 matches, followed by 360 (Barcelona), 375 (Kiel) and 379 (Flensburg)

470 goals in 14 matches scored by FC Barcelona puts them on top, followed by 435 (Veszprem), 434 (Kiel) and 418 (Flensburg).

Season figures:

Overall matches with the largest amount of goals in this season (all in the group phase):

73 goals – HSV Hamburg vs. Gorenje Velenje (41:32)

72 goals – DROTT Halmstad vs. Gorenje Velenje (32:40)

72 goals – Naturhouse La Rioja vs. DROTT Halmstad (38:34)

71 goals - MKB-MVM Veszprém vs. Motor Zaporozhye (44:27)

71 goals – FC Barcelona – Wacker Thun (45:26)

*69 goals – Rhein neckar Löwen vs. FC Barcelona (38:31, highest number of goals in a single quarter-final match)

Overall matches with the lowest number of goals this season:

38 goals - Dunkerque vs. KIF Kolding-Kobenhavn (18:20)

40 goals –Metalurg Skopje vs. KIF Kolding-Kobenhavn (23:17/L16)

43 goals – FC Porto vs. Dunkerque (22:21)

44 goals – FC Porto – Orlen Wisla Plock (20:24)

44 goals - Vardar Skopje vs. Metalurg Skopje (18:26)

*46 goals – Flensburg vs. Vardar (24:22) – lowest number of goals in quarter-finals

Biggest goal difference in a single match in this season:

19 goals - Barcelona vs. Wacker Thun (45:26)

18 goals - FC Barcelona vs. HC Metalurg (35:17)

17 goals - MKB-MVM Veszprém vs. Motor Zaporozhye (44:27)

*10 goals – Metalurg Skopje vs. THW Kiel 21:31, biggest difference in the quarter-finals

Spectators:

15,320 - Dinamo Minsk vs. FC Barcelona (GM)

13,200 – Rhein Neckar Löwen vs. FV Barcelona (QF)

11,000 - RK Zagreb vs. MKB-MVM Veszprém (GM)

TEXT: Björn Pazen / cor