The 2017–18 EHF Champions League was the 58th edition of Europe's premier club handball tournament and the 25th edition under the current EHF Champions League format.
2017–18 | |
Tournament information | |
---|---|
Sport | Handball |
Dates | 2 September 2017–27 May 2018 |
Teams | 28 (group stage) 31 (qualification) |
Website | ehfcl.com |
Final positions | |
Champions | |
Runner-up | |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 200 |
Goals scored | 11263 (56.32 per match) |
Attendance | 857,713 (4,289 per match) |
Top scorer(s) | (92 goals) |
Montpellier defeated HBC Nantes in the final to win their second title.[1]
Competition format
edit- Group Stage
Twenty-eight teams participated in the competition, divided in four groups. Groups A and B were played with eight teams each, in a round robin, home and away format. The top team in each group qualified directly for the quarter-finals, the bottom two in each group dropped out of the competition and the remaining 10 teams qualified for the first knock-out phase.
In groups C and D, six teams played in each group in a round robin format, playing both home and away. The top two teams in each group then met in a ‘semi-final’ play-off, with the two winners going through to the first knock-out phase. The remaining teams dropped out of the competition.
- Knock-out Phase 1 (Last 16)
12 teams played home and away in the first knock-out phase, with the 10 teams qualified from groups A and B and the two teams qualified from groups C and D.
- Knock-out Phase 2 (Quarterfinals)
The six winners of the matches in the first knock-out phase joined the winners of groups A and B to play home and away for the right to play in the VELUX EHF FINAL4.
- Final four
The culmination of the season, the VELUX EHF FINAL4, will continue in its existing format, with the four top teams from the competition competing for the title.
Team allocation
edit28 teams were directly qualified for the group stage.[2]
Round and draw dates
editThe qualification draw was held in Vienna, Austria and the group stage draw in Ljubljana, Slovenia.[3][4]
Phase | Draw date |
---|---|
Qualification tournaments | 29 June 2017 |
Group stage | 30 June 2017 |
Knockout stage | |
Final Four (Cologne) |
2 May 2018 |
Qualification stage
editThe four teams played a semifinal and final to determine the last participant. Matches were played on 2 and 3 September 2017.[5][6]
Tatran Prešov hosted the tournament.[7]
Bracket
editSemifinals | Final | |||||
2 September | ||||||
31 | ||||||
3 September | ||||||
27 | ||||||
35 | ||||||
2 September | ||||||
34 | ||||||
25 | ||||||
26 | ||||||
Third place | ||||||
3 September | ||||||
27 | ||||||
30 |
Semifinals
edit2 September 2017 13:30 |
Sporting CP |
31–27 | Tatran Handball Arena, Prešov Attendance: 420 Referees: Jurinović, Mrvica (CRO) | |
Carol 8 | (18–14) | Rönnberg 9 | ||
3× |
Report | 3× |
2 September 2017 16:00 |
Tatran Prešov |
25–26 | Tatran Handball Arena, Prešov Attendance: 1,500 Referees: Herczeg, Südi (HUN) | |
Butorac 7 | (12–13) | Schmid 7 | ||
3× |
Report | 3× |
Third place game
edit3 September 2017 13:30 |
Riihimäki Cocks |
27–30 | Tatran Handball Arena, Prešov Attendance: 400 Referees: Herczeg, Südi (HUN) | |
Rönnberg 5 | (10–15) | Krok 6 | ||
2× |
Report | 3× |
Final
edit3 September 2017 16:05 |
Sporting CP |
35–34 (ET) | Tatran Handball Arena, Prešov Attendance: 500 Referees: Jurinović, Mrvica (CRO) | |
Carol 9 | (17–17) | Schmid 10 | ||
3× |
Report | 3× | ||
FT: 29–29 ET: 6–5 |
Group stage
editThe draw for the group stage was held on 30 June 2017 at 21:00 in the Ljubljana castle. The 28 teams were drawn into four groups, two containing eight teams (Groups A and B) and two containing six teams (Groups C and D). The only restriction is that teams from the same national association could not face each other in the same group. Since Germany qualified three teams, the lowest seeded side (Kiel) were drawn with one of the other two.[8]
In each group, teams played against each other in a double round-robin format, with home and away matches.
After completion of the group stage matches, the teams advancing to the knockout stage were determined in the following manner:
- Groups A and B – the top team qualified directly for the quarterfinals, and the five teams ranked 2nd–6th advanced to the first knockout round.
- Groups C and D – the top two teams from both groups contest a playoff to determine the last two sides joining the 10 teams from Groups A and B in the first knockout round.
Tiebreakers |
---|
In the group stage, teams are ranked according to points (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). After completion of the group stage, if two or more teams have scored the same number of points, the ranking will be determined as follows:
If the ranking of one of these teams is determined, the above criteria are consecutively followed until the ranking of all teams is determined. If no ranking can be determined, a decision shall be obtained by EHF through drawing of lots. During the group stage, only criteria 4–5 apply to determine the provisional ranking of teams. |
Group A
editPos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | VAR | BAR | NAN | RNL | SZE | KRI | PLO | ZAG | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 390 | 341 | +49 | 21 | Quarterfinals | — | 27–24 | 27–23 | 30–26 | 34–30 | 31–15 | 31–31 | 28–21 | ||
2 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 408 | 377 | +31 | 20[a] | First knockout round | 29–28 | — | 31–25 | 26–26 | 28–27 | 31–29 | 28–27 | 32–22 | ||
3 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 402 | 382 | +20 | 20[a] | 27–26 | 29–25 | — | 26–26 | 30–26 | 34–25 | 32–30 | 28–27 | |||
4 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 416 | 391 | +25 | 17 | 21–21 | 31–31 | 30–30 | — | 35–37 | 32–29 | 31–27 | 31–24 | |||
5 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 421 | 411 | +10 | 13 | 26–26 | 31–28 | 29–33 | 31–34 | — | 36–27 | 24–25 | 30–28 | |||
6 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 355 | 415 | −60 | 8 | 23–26 | 21–26 | 26–31 | 22–35 | 33–32 | — | 25–24 | 28–28 | |||
7 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 380 | 408 | −28 | 7 | 22–26 | 30–37 | 30–32 | 27–32 | 27–33 | 25–25 | — | 27–24 | |||
8 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 349 | 396 | −47 | 6 | 23–29 | 24–32 | 23–22 | 30–26 | 23–28 | 24–27 | 28–28 | — |
Group B
editPos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | PAR | VES | FLE | THW | KIE | BRE | CEL | ALB | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 424 | 378 | +46 | 23 | Quarterfinals | — | 33–27 | 29–21 | 29–29 | 33–28 | 32–28 | 32–27 | 31–28 | ||
2 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 407 | 378 | +29 | 18[a] | First knockout round | 24–29 | — | 28–27 | 26–24 | 31–26 | 34–22 | 29–22 | 30–24 | ||
3 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 410 | 391 | +19 | 18[a] | 33–29 | 31–31 | — | 30–33 | 32–32 | 37–30 | 33–28 | 30–27 | |||
4 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 366 | 361 | +5 | 16 | 22–25 | 22–20 | 20–20 | — | 29–30 | 33–23 | 26–29 | 27–26 | |||
5 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 418 | 408 | +10 | 15 | 29–30 | 32–32 | 25–25 | 32–21 | — | 33–28 | 37–31 | 28–27 | |||
6 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 374 | 406 | −32 | 10 | 29–28 | 26–29 | 28–30 | 24–25 | 28–25 | — | 29–24 | 23–23 | |||
7 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 398 | 434 | −36 | 7 | 26–31 | 31–39 | 27–30 | 27–28 | 31–27 | 33–33 | — | 31–28 | |||
8 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 364 | 405 | −41 | 5 | 26–33 | 29–26 | 24–31 | 20–27 | 30–34 | 20–23 | 32–30 | — |
Group C
editPos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | SKJ | ADE | GOR | ELV | SCH | BUC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 326 | 252 | +74 | 16 | Playoffs | — | 33–25 | 35–20 | 35–25 | 32–22 | 39–28 | ||
2 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 270 | 270 | 0 | 12[a] | 26–31 | — | 29–24 | 26–30 | 29–28 | 32–29 | |||
3 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 271 | 271 | 0 | 12[a] | 31–29 | 23–22 | — | 30–21 | 27–21 | 33–29 | |||
4 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 287 | 304 | −17 | 10 | 27–32 | 25–30 | 29–28 | — | 26–22 | 40–32 | |||
5 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 263 | 274 | −11 | 8 | 25–24 | 23–24 | 31–28 | 36–30 | — | 27–25 | |||
6 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 278 | 324 | −46 | 2 | 23–36 | 24–28 | 26–27 | 33–34 | 29–28 | — |
Group D
editPos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MON | ZAP | BES | SPO | SKO | MED | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 309 | 267 | +42 | 16 | Playoffs | — | 28–20 | 28–33 | 33–32 | 32–22 | 34–23 | ||
2 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 294 | 263 | +31 | 15 | 31–30 | — | 28–22 | 32–29 | 28–28 | 36–23 | |||
3 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 293 | 296 | −3 | 11 | 32–36 | 28–28 | — | 26–30 | 32–29 | 33–29 | |||
4 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 293 | 297 | −4 | 8 | 29–33 | 23–31 | 34–27 | — | 31–27 | 31–30 | |||
5 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 262 | 293 | −31 | 5[a] | 21–27 | 22–30 | 27–31 | 28–27 | — | 25–29 | |||
6 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 271 | 306 | −35 | 5[a] | 24–28 | 30–30 | 27–29 | 30–27 | 26–32 | — |
Playoffs
editThe top two teams from Groups C and D contested a playoff to determine the two sides advancing to the knockout phase. The winners of each group faced the runners-up of the other group in a two-legged tie. The first leg was played on 24 February 2018 and the second leg on 4 March 2018.
Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
---|---|---|---|---|
CB Ademar León |
43–48 | 24–28 | 19–20 | |
Motor Zaporizhzhia |
58–63 | 32–30 | 26–33 |
Knockout stage
editThe first-placed team from the preliminary groups A and B advanced to the quarterfinals, while the 2–6th placed teams advanced to the round of 16 alongside the playoff winners.
Round of 16
editTeam 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
---|---|---|---|---|
Montpellier |
56–55 | 28–25 | 28–30 | |
Skjern Håndbold |
61–59 | 32–25 | 29–34 | |
Meshkov Brest |
52–60 | 24–32 | 28–28 | |
IFK Kristianstad |
46–53 | 22–26 | 24–27 | |
PGE Vive Kielce |
77–47[B] | 41–17 | 36–30 | |
THW Kiel |
56–50[A] | 29–22 | 27–28 |
- Notes
Quarterfinals
editTeam 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
---|---|---|---|---|
THW Kiel |
56–56 | 28–29 | 28–27 | |
PGE Vive Kielce |
60–69 | 28–34 | 32–35 | |
Flensburg-Handewitt |
45–57 | 28–28 | 17–29 | |
HBC Nantes |
60–54 | 33–27 | 27–27 |
Final four
editBracket
editSemifinals | Final | |||||
26 May | ||||||
32 | ||||||
27 May | ||||||
28 | ||||||
26 | ||||||
26 May | ||||||
32 | ||||||
27 | ||||||
28 | ||||||
Third place | ||||||
27 May | ||||||
29 | ||||||
28 |
Final
edit27 May 2018 18:00 |
HBC Nantes |
26–32 | Lanxess Arena, Cologne Attendance: 19,250 Referees: López, Ramírez (ESP) | |
Lazarov 6 | (13–16) | Fabregas, Simonet 6 | ||
2× |
Report | 1× |
Statistics and awards
editTop goalscorers
edit- As of 27 May 2018
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 92 | ||
2 | 88 | ||
3 | 83 | ||
4 | 80 | ||
5 | 79 | ||
7 | 76 | ||
8 | 75 | ||
9 | 74 | ||
Awards
editThe all-star team was announced on 25 May 2018.[10]
- Goalkeeper:
Arpad Sterbik (ESP)
- Right wing:
David Balaguer (ESP)
- Right back:
Dika Mem (FRA)
- Centre back:
Nikola Karabatić (FRA)
- Left back:
Sander Sagosen (NOR)
- Left wing:
Uwe Gensheimer (GER)
- Pivot:
Bjarte Myrhol (NOR)
- Other awards
- MVP of the Final four:
Diego Simonet (ARG)[11]
- Best Defender:
Luka Karabatic (FRA)
- Best Young player:
Romain Lagarde (FRA)
- Coach:
Patrice Canayer (FRA)
References
edit- ^ "After 15 years, Montpellier top the podium again". ehfcl.com. 27 May 2018.
- ^ "EXEC confirms the 2017/18 starting grid". ehfcl.com. 24 June 2017.
- ^ "Record high demand for the jubilee season". ehfcl.com. 12 June 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-06-16. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
- ^ "Ljubljana hosts draw for the 25th season of EHF Champions League". ehfcl.com. 13 June 2017.
- ^ "Seeding for the group phase draw released". ehfcl.com. 26 June 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-06-26. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
- ^ "Draw grants first right to organise a group to Hard". ehfcl.com. 29 June 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2017-06-29.
- ^ "Tatran Presov set to welcome qualification hopefuls to Slovakia". ehfcl.com. 19 July 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-07-19. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ "Vardar to start the title defence in a group with record champions". ehfcl.com. 30 June 2017.
- ^ "Machtkampf der Verbände im Terminchaos eskaliert". rhein-neckar-loewen.de. 8 March 2018.
- ^ "Seven new names blow fresh wind in VELUX EHF Champions League 2017/18 All-star Team". ehfcl.com. 25 May 2018.
- ^ "Diego Simonet – a proud Argentinian with two trophies". ehfcl.com. 27 May 2018.