2014–15 EHF Champions League
European handball tournament
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The 2014–15 VELUX EHF Champions League was the 55th edition of Europe's premier club handball competition and the 22nd edition under the current EHF Champions League format. SG Flensburg-Handewitt were the defending champions.
| 2014–15 | |
The Lanxess Arena hosts the final | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Handball |
| Location | Lanxess Arena (FINAL4) |
| Dates | 6 September 2014–31 May 2015 |
| Administrator | EHF |
| Teams | 33 (qualification stage) 24 (group stage) 16 (knockout stage) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Barcelona |
| Runner-up |  MKB-MVM Veszprém |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 148 |
| Goals scored | 7932 (53.59 per match) |
| Attendance | 691,601 (4,673 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Momir Ilić(114 goals) |
FC Barcelona Handbol defeated Veszprém KC 28–23 in the final to win their eighth EHF Champions League title. The record winners of the European top flight also claimed one trophy of the Champions Cup (the EHF Champions League forerunner) in 1991.[1]
Overview
Team allocation
League positions of the previous season shown in parentheses (TH: Title holders). 21 teams were directly qualified for the group stage.[2]
| Group stage | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Flensburg-HandewittTH (3rd) |
 Paris Saint-Germain (2nd) |
MOL-Pick Szeged (2nd) |
 Vive Tauron Kielce (1st) |
| THW Kiel (1st) |
Montpellier (3rd) |
 Chekhovskiye Medvedi (1st) |
Wisła Płock (2nd) |
| Rhein-Neckar Löwen (2nd) |
 KIF Kolding København (1st) |
 Kadetten Schaffhausen (1st) |
 Alingsås HK (1st) |
| Barcelona (1st) |
Aalborg (2nd) |
 Zagreb (1st) | |
| Logroño (2nd) |
 Celje (1st) |
 Metalurg Skopje (1st) | |
| Dunkerque (1st) |
MKB-MVM Veszprém (1st) |
Vardar (2nd) | |
| Qualification tournament | |||
 Meshkov Brest (1st) |
 Haslum HK (CW) |
 Beşiktaş (1st) |
 Targos Bevo HC (1st) |
 HCM Constanța (1st) |
Vojvodina (1st) |
 Tatran Prešov (1st) |
 Initia Hasselt (1st) |
 Porto (1st) |
 Motor Zaporizhzhia (1st) |
 Alpla HC Hard (1st) |
 Junior Fasano (1st) |
Round and draw dates
Draws were held at the European Handball Federation headquarters in Vienna, Austria and the only exception was the VELUX EHF FINAL4 draw in the Botanic Garden of Cologne, Germany.
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | Qualification tournaments | 26 June 2014 | 5–7 September 2014 | |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 27 June 2014 | 24–28 September 2014 | |
| Matchday 2 | 1–5 October 2014 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 8–12 October 2014 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 15–19 October 2014 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 12–16 November 2014 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 19–23 November 2014 | |||
| Matchday 7 | 26–30 November 2014 | |||
| Matchday 8 | 3–6 December 2014 | |||
| Matchday 9 | 11–15 February 2015 | |||
| Matchday 10 | 18–22 February 2015 | |||
| Knockout stage | Last 16 | 24 February 2015 | 11–15 March 2015 | 18–22 March 2015 |
| Quarter-final | 24 March 2015 | 8–12 April 2015 | 15–19 April 2015 | |
| Final Four (Cologne) |
Semifinals | 21 April 2015 | 30 May 2015 at Lanxess Arena | |
| Final | 31 May 2015 at Lanxess Arena | |||
Qualification stage
Twelve teams took part in the qualification tournaments. They were drawn into three groups of four teams, where they played a semifinal and a final or third place match. The winners of the qualification tournaments, played on 6–7 September 2014, qualified for the group stage, while the eliminated teams were transferred to the 2014–15 EHF Cup. The draw took place on 26 June 2014, at 14:00 local time, in Vienna, Austria.[2][3]
Seedings
The seedings were published on 23 June 2014.[4]
Qualification tournament 1
| Semifinals | Final | |||||
| 6 September | ||||||
| Meshkov Brest | 36 | |||||
| 7 September | ||||||
| Targos Bevo HC | 23 | |||||
| Meshkov Brest | 26 | |||||
| 6 September | ||||||
| Tatran Prešov | 24 | |||||
| Vojvodina | 21 | |||||
| Tatran Prešov | 25 | |||||
| Third place game | ||||||
| 7 September | ||||||
| Targos Bevo HC | 25 | |||||
| Vojvodina | 30 | |||||
Qualification tournament 2
| Semifinals | Final | |||||
| 5 September | ||||||
| Motor Zaporizhzhia | 36 | |||||
| 6 September | ||||||
| Junior Fasano | 20 | |||||
| Motor Zaporizhzhia | 30 | |||||
| 5 September | ||||||
| Porto | 26 | |||||
| Porto | 29 | |||||
| Alpla HC Hard | 25 | |||||
| Third place game | ||||||
| 6 September | ||||||
| Junior Fasano | 26 | |||||
| Alpla HC Hard | 35 | |||||
Qualification tournament 3
| Semifinals | Final | |||||
| 6 September | ||||||
| HCM Constanța | 29 | |||||
| 7 September | ||||||
| Initia Hasselt | 20 | |||||
| HCM Constanța | 25 | |||||
| 6 September | ||||||
| Beşiktaş | 34 | |||||
| Haslum HK | 22 | |||||
| Beşiktaş | 29 | |||||
| Third place game | ||||||
| 7 September | ||||||
| Initia Hasselt | 26 | |||||
| Haslum HK | 35 | |||||
Group stage
24 teams were drawn into four groups of six teams, where they played each other twice. The top four teams advanced to the knockout stage. The draw took place on 27 June 2014, at 18:00 local time, in Vienna, Austria.[2][5]
Seedings
The seedings were published on 23 June 2014.[4]
| Key to colours in group tables |
|---|
| Top four placed teams advanced to the last 16 |
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | KIE | PSG | ZAG | LOG | MSH | MET | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| THW Kiel |
10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 322 | 259 | +63 | 18 | — | 33–29 | 34–27 | 34–32 | 33–22 | 35–16 | |
| Paris Saint-Germain |
10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 297 | 266 | +31 | 12 | 25–27 | — | 27–22 | 32–25 | 36–25 | 35–24 | |
| Zagreb |
10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 241 | 248 | −7 | 12 | 27–25 | 25–24 | — | 31–30 | 25–23 | 19–17 | |
| Logroño |
10 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 305 | 305 | 0 | 9 | 30–34 | 35–33 | 22–21 | — | 39–31 | 31–26 | |
| Meshkov Brest |
10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 267 | 293 | −26 | 6 | 24–25 | 28–29 | 26–22 | 33–33 | — | 28–24 | |
| Metalurg Skopje |
10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 233 | 294 | −61 | 3 | 27–42 | 22–27 | 20–22 | 29–28 | 27–27 | — |
Group B
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | BAR | KOL | PŁO | FLE | ALI | BJK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona |
10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 338 | 280 | +58 | 17 | — | 33–27 | 30–25 | 36–27 | 42–29 | 35–25 | |
| KIF Kolding København |
10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 292 | 273 | +19 | 14 | 27–27 | — | 30–30 | 35–21 | 34–33 | 34–31 | |
| Wisła Płock |
10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 288 | 280 | +8 | 13 | 34–31 | 28–29 | — | 31–29 | 28–25 | 28–19 | |
| Flensburg-Handewitt |
10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 288 | 277 | +11 | 12 | 33–37 | 27–20 | 35–28 | — | 31–21 | 31–27 | |
| Alingsås HK |
10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 252 | 298 | −46 | 2 | 28–38 | 19–23 | 22–23 | 22–27 | — | 27–24 | |
| Beşiktaş |
10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 253 | 303 | −50 | 2 | 25–29 | 24–33 | 30–33 | 20–27 | 28–26 | — |
Group C
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | VES | VAR | RNL | MON | CEL | CHE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MKB-MVM Veszprém |
10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 300 | 262 | +38 | 18 | — | 32–24 | 27–24 | 30–29 | 29–26 | 38–31 | |
| Vardar |
10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 313 | 289 | +24 | 15 | 23–24 | — | 28–25 | 30–26 | 34–32 | 39–28 | |
| Rhein-Neckar Löwen |
10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 302 | 282 | +20 | 12 | 32–25 | 28–35 | — | 35–24 | 31–27 | 34–29 | |
| Montpellier |
10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 293 | 317 | −24 | 8 | 20–34 | 34–34 | 29–33 | — | 35–29 | 32–32 | |
| Celje |
10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 284 | 293 | −9 | 6 | 21–24 | 26–27 | 32–28 | 27–30 | — | 29–25 | |
| Chekhovskiye Medvedi |
10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 300 | 349 | −49 | 1 | 32–37 | 34–39 | 26–32 | 33–34 | 30–35 | — |
Group D
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | KSK | SZE | DUN | AAL | ZAP | KAD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vive Tauron Kielce |
10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 312 | 271 | +41 | 20 | — | 37–32 | 36–32 | 33–26 | 30–26 | 33–24 | |
| MOL-Pick Szeged |
10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 276 | 264 | +12 | 13 | 26–27 | — | 23–21 | 23–23 | 27–26 | 34–24 | |
| Dunkerque |
10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 257 | 263 | −6 | 8 | 25–28 | 24–25 | — | 21–26 | 31–29 | 29–25 | |
| Aalborg |
10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 256 | 269 | −13 | 7 | 25–27 | 25–28 | 25–28 | — | 30–36 | 23–23 | |
| Motor Zaporizhzhia |
10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 283 | 284 | −1 | 6 | 27–28 | 25–29 | 21–23 | 25–28 | — | 31–26 | |
| Kadetten Schaffhausen |
10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 264 | 297 | −33 | 6 | 28–33 | 32–29 | 25–23 | 25–25 | 32–37 | — |
Knockout stage
The top four placed teams of each group advance to the knockout stage. In the round of 16 and the quarterfinals, the teams will play a home-and away series to determine the four participants of the final four, which then determines the winner.
Last 16
The draw was held on 24 February 2015 at 12:30 in Vienna, Austria. The first legs were played on 11–15 March and the second legs on 18–22 March 2015.[6]
Seedings
The seedings were published on 23 February 2015.[7]
A team from Pot 1 will face a team from Pot 4, a Pot 2 team will play against a team from Pot 3.
Matches
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logroño |
54–68 | MKB-MVM Veszprém |
23–31 | 31–37 |
| Montpellier |
58–60 | Vive Tauron Kielce |
25–29 | 33–31 |
| Aalborg |
33–60 | Barcelona |
11–31 | 22–29 |
| Flensburg-Handewitt |
49–63 | THW Kiel |
21–30 | 28–33 |
| Dunkerque |
43–46 | Paris Saint-Germain |
21–23 | 22–23 |
| Wisła Płock |
52–57 | Vardar |
32–26 | 20–31 |
| Rhein-Neckar Löwen |
59–65 | MOL-Pick Szeged |
30–34 | 29–31 |
| Zagreb |
43–40 | KIF Kolding København |
22–17 | 21–23 |
Quarterfinals
The draw was held on 24 March 2015 at 11:30 in Vienna, Austria. The first legs were played on 8–12 April and the second legs on 15–19 April 2015.[8][9]
Seedings
The seedings were published on 23 March 2015.[8]
Matches
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zagreb |
44–68 | Barcelona |
23–25 | 21–43 |
| Vardar |
51–55 | Vive Tauron Kielce |
20–22 | 31–33 |
| Paris Saint-Germain |
52–58 | MKB-MVM Veszprém |
24–24 | 28–34 |
| MOL-Pick Szeged |
54–60 | THW Kiel |
31–29 | 23–31 |
Final four
The draw was held on 21 April 2015.[10][11]
The final four was held on 30–31 May 2015 at the Lanxess Arena, Cologne.
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 30 May | ||||||
| Barcelona | 33 | |||||
| 31 May | ||||||
| Vive Tauron Kielce | 28 | |||||
| Barcelona | 28 | |||||
| 30 May | ||||||
| MKB-MVM Veszprém | 23 | |||||
| THW Kiel | 27 | |||||
| MKB-MVM Veszprém | 31 | |||||
| Third place | ||||||
| 31 May | ||||||
| Vive Tauron Kielce | 28 | |||||
| THW Kiel | 26 | |||||
Top goalscorers
Statistics exclude qualifying round.[12]
| Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Momir Ilić |
Veszprém |
114 |
| 2 | Kiril Lazarov |
Barcelona |
106 |
| 3 | Mikkel Hansen |
Paris |
103 |
| 4 | Karol Bielecki |
Kielce |
92 |
| 5 | Timur Dibirov |
Vardar |
78 |
| 6 | Zsolt Balogh |
Szeged |
76 |
| Marko Vujin |
Kiel | ||
| 8 | Nikola Karabatić |
Barcelona |
75 |
| 9 | Igor Karačić |
Vardar |
74 |
| 10 | Alex Dujshebaev |
Vardar |
73 |
Awards
|
The All-star team of the Champions League 2014/15:[13]
|
|
