2020–21 EHF Champions League knockout stage

The 2020–21 EHF Champions League knockout stage began on 31 March with the playoffs and ended on 13 June 2021 with the final at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany, to decide the winners of the 2020–21 EHF Champions League.^[1] On 10 February 2021, after a decision by the EHF Executive Committee, it was announced that all 16 teams advance from the group stage.^[2]

Format

In the Play-offs, the first-placed team from one group faced the eighth-placed team from the other group, the second-placed team faced the seventh-placed and so on. The eight winning teams advanced to the quarterfinals. The four quarterfinal winners qualified for the final four tournament at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany.

Qualified teams

Group
Group	First place	Second place	Third place	Fourth place	Fifth place	Sixth place	Seventh place	Eighth place
A	SG Flensburg-Handewitt	Paris Saint-Germain	Łomża Vive Kielce	Meshkov Brest	FC Porto	MOL-Pick Szeged	Vardar 1961	Elverum Håndball
B	Barça	Telekom Veszprém	THW Kiel	Aalborg Håndbold	Motor	HBC Nantes	Celje Pivovarna Laško	PPD Zagreb

Play-offs

On 29 March 2021 the European Handball Federation has issued an overview on what happens if matches cannot be played in the upcoming play-offs of the EHF Champions League Men due to reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic. If a team reports positive cases of COVID-19 and the match could not be played, this pairing would be decided by playing both matches (1st and 2nd leg) as a so called ‘double game’ before 8 April 2021, the date when the last second-leg matches are scheduled. If a second-leg match was not played on 7–8 April 2021, as a consequence of this and following the principle that the party responsible is liable for, in this case, the fact that the match cannot be played, a team which was not in the position to play its scheduled game on the second weekend would be excluded from the competition regardless of the result in the first-leg game. The opponents would subsequently qualify for the quarter-finals.^[3]

Overview

Team 1	Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
HBC Nantes	58–56	Łomża Vive Kielce	24–25	34–31
MOL-Pick Szeged	56–66	THW Kiel	28–33	28–33
Motor	55–60	Meshkov Brest	32–30	23–30
FC Porto	56–56 (a)	Aalborg Håndbold	32–29	24–27
PPD Zagreb	0–20^{[note 1]}	SG Flensburg-Handewitt	0–10	0–10
Elverum Håndball	44–76	Barça	25–37	19–39
Celje Pivovarna Laško	47–68	Paris Saint-Germain	24–37	23–31
Vardar 1961	57–80	Telekom Veszprém	27–41	30–39

Matches

31 March 2021 20:45	HBC Nantes	24–25	Łomża Vive Kielce	H Arena, Nantes Attendance: 0^{[note 2]} Referees: Kurtagic, Wetterwik (SWE)
	Lazarov, Pechmalbec 5	(14–12)	A. Dujshebaev 6
	1× 3× 1×	Report	1× 3×

7 April 2021 20:45	Łomża Vive Kielce	31–34	HBC Nantes	Hala Legionów, Kielce Attendance: 0^{[note 2]} Referees: Horáček, Novotný (CZE)
	Kulesh 6	(13–15)	Rivera Folch 9
	1× 4×	Report	1× 4×

HBC Nantes won 58–56 on aggregate.

31 March 2021 18:45	MOL-Pick Szeged	28–33	THW Kiel	Városi Sportcsarnok, Szeged Attendance: 0^{[note 2]} Referees: Nikolov, Nachevski (MKD)
	Radivojević 6	(13–21)	Sagosen 8
	2×	Report	1× 4×

7 April 2021 18:45	THW Kiel	33–28	MOL-Pick Szeged	Wunderino-Arena, Kiel Attendance: 0^{[note 2]} Referees: Madsen, Mortensen (DEN)
	Sagosen 9	(18–15)	Radivojević 7
	2× 4×	Report	4×

THW Kiel won 66–56 on aggregate.

1 April 2021^{[note 3]} 18:45	Motor	32–30	Meshkov Brest	Yunost Sport Hall, Zaporizhia Attendance: 1,500 Referees: Jurinović, Mrvica (CRO)
	Malašinskas 7	(15–12)	Baranau 9
	3× 4×	Report	2× 2×

8 April 2021 18:45	Meshkov Brest	30–23	Motor	Universal Sports Complex Victoria, Brest Attendance: 1,750 Referees: Lah, Sok (SLO)
	Vailupau 8	(16–8)	Pukhouski 7
	2× 6×	Report	1× 4× 1×

Meshkov Brest won 60–55 on aggregate.

1 April 2021 20:45	FC Porto	32–29	Aalborg Håndbold	Dragão Arena, Porto Attendance: 0^{[note 2]} Referees: Nikolić, Stojković (SRB)
	Iturriza 8	(18–14)	Barthold 8
	2× 2×	Report	3× 3×

7 April 2021 18:45	Aalborg Håndbold	27–24	FC Porto	Jutlander Bank Arena, Aalborg Attendance: 1 Referees: Kurtagic, Wetterwik (SWE)
	Claar 6	(10–9)	Iturriza 6
	2×	Report	1× 2×

56–56 on aggregate. Aalborg Håndbold won on away goals

Cancelled^{[note 4]}	PPD Zagreb	0–10^{[note 1]}	SG Flensburg-Handewitt

Cancelled^{[note 5]}	SG Flensburg-Handewitt	10–0^{[note 1]}	PPD Zagreb

2 April 2021^{[note 6]} 18:45	Elverum Håndball	25–37	Barça	Palau Blaugrana, Barcelona^{[note 7]} Attendance: 686 Referees: Baumgart, Wild (GER)
	Blonz, Solstad 6	(12–19)	Mem 7
	2× 3×	Report	1× 1×

5 April 2021^{[note 8]} 18:45	Barça	39–19	Elverum Håndball	Palau Blaugrana, Barcelona Attendance: 645 Referees: Bíró, Kiss (HUN)
	Diocou 6	(20–10)	Máthé 6
	1×	Report	1× 2×

Barça won 76–44 on aggregate.

1 April 2021 20:45	Celje Pivovarna Laško	24–37	Paris Saint-Germain	Zlatorog Arena, Celje Attendance: 0^{[note 2]} Referees: Brunner, Salah (SUI)
	Dragašević, Mlakar 6	(11–21)	Nahi 10
	2×	Report	1× 3×

8 April 2021 20:45	Paris Saint-Germain	31–23	Celje Pivovarna Laško	Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Paris Attendance: 0^{[note 2]} Referees: Santos, Fonseca (POR)
	Nahi 7	(14–12)	Grošelj 6
	2×	Report	2× 3×

Paris Saint-Germain won 68–47 on aggregate.

1 April 2021 18:45	Vardar 1961	27–41	Telekom Veszprém	Jane Sandanski Arena, Skopje Attendance: 0^{[note 2]} Referees: Pavićević, Ražnatović (MNE)
	Čupić 8	(11–21)	Marguč 8
	1× 2×	Report	1× 4×

8 April 2021 18:45	Telekom Veszprém	39–30	Vardar 1961	Veszprém Aréna, Veszprém Attendance: 0^{[note 2]} Referees: Marìn, García (ESP)
	Nilsson, Shishkaryov 6	(20–15)	three players 5
	1× 1×	Report	1× 4×

Telekom Veszprém won 80–57 on aggregate.

Quarterfinals

Overview

Team 1	Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score	Team 2	1st leg	2nd leg
HBC Nantes	62–60	Telekom Veszprém	32–28	30–32
THW Kiel	59–63	Paris Saint-Germain	31–29	28–34
Meshkov Brest	57–73	Barça	29–33	28–40
Aalborg Håndbold	55–54	SG Flensburg-Handewitt	26–21	29–33

Matches

13 May 2021 20:45	HBC Nantes	32–28	Telekom Veszprém	H Arena, Nantes Attendance: 0^{[note 2]} Referees: Nikolov, Nachevski (MKD)
	Rivera Folch 6	(16–12)	Marguč 8
	1× 5×	Report	1× 2×

20 May 2021 18:45	Telekom Veszprém	32–30	HBC Nantes	Veszprém Aréna, Veszprém Attendance: 4,650 Referees: Schulze, Tönnies (GER)
	Nenadić 7	(18–15)	Balaguer 6
	2× 5× 1×	Report	1× 3×

HBC Nantes won 62–60 on aggregate.

12 May 2021 20:45	THW Kiel	31–29	Paris Saint-Germain	Wunderino-Arena, Kiel Attendance: 1 Referees: Gubica, Milošević (CRO)
	Reinkind 10	(14–15)	Nahi 8
	2× 4×	Report	1× 5×

19 May 2021 18:45	Paris Saint-Germain	34–28	THW Kiel	Stade Pierre de Coubertin, Paris Attendance: 800 Referees: López, Ramírez (ESP)
	Prandi 9	(16–15)	Ekberg 7
	4×	Report	1× 5× 1×

Paris Saint-Germain won 63–59 on aggregate.

12 May 2021 18:45	Meshkov Brest	29–33	Barça	Universal Sports Complex Victoria, Brest Attendance: 3,110 Referees: Hansen, Madsen (DEN)
	Vailupau 11	(16–17)	Gómez 7
	3× 1×	Report	2×

20 May 2021 20:45	Barça	40–28	Meshkov Brest	Palau Blaugrana, Barcelona Attendance: 874 Referees: Horváth, Marton (HUN)
	Mortensen 7	(21–13)	Vailupau 7
	1× 3×	Report	1× 3×

Barça won 73–57 on aggregate.

13 May 2021 18:45	Aalborg Håndbold	26–21	SG Flensburg-Handewitt	Jutlander Bank Arena, Aalborg Attendance: 0^{[note 2]} Referees: Sondors, Līcis (LAT)
	Claar, Sandell 8	(13–10)	Gottfridsson 5
	2× 2×	Report	1× 5×

19 May 2021 20:45	SG Flensburg-Handewitt	33–29	Aalborg Håndbold	Flens-Arena, Flensburg Attendance: 0^{[note 2]} Referees: Bonaventura, Bonaventura (FRA)
	Golla, Rød 9	(14–16)	Claar 6
	2× 5×	Report	6×

Aalborg Håndbold won 55–54 on aggregate.

Final four

The final four was held at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany on 12 and 13 June 2021. The draw was held on 25 May 2021.^[6]^[7]

Bracket

Semi-finals		Final

12 June

Paris Saint-Germain	33
		13 June
Aalborg Håndbold	35
		Aalborg Håndbold	23
12 June
		Barça	36
Barça	31

HBC Nantes	26
		Third place

		13 June

		Paris Saint-Germain	31

		HBC Nantes	28

Semifinals

12 June 2021 15:15	Paris Saint-Germain	33–35	Aalborg Håndbold	Lanxess Arena, Cologne Attendance: 1,000 Referees: Lah, Sok (SLO)
	Remili 7	(15–13)	Claar 9
	3×	Report	3× 2×

12 June 2021 18:00	Barça	31–26	HBC Nantes	Lanxess Arena, Cologne Attendance: 1,000 Referees: Kurtagic, Wetterwik (SWE)
	Mem 6	(15–13)	Rivera Folch 6
	1× 3×	Report	1× 3×

Third place game

13 June 2021 15:15	HBC Nantes	28–31	Paris Saint-Germain	Lanxess Arena, Cologne Attendance: 1,000 Referees: Brunner, Salah (SUI)
	Minne 5	(13–17)	Solé 5
	1× 6×	Report	3×

Final

13 June 2021 18:00	Barça	36–23	Aalborg Håndbold	Lanxess Arena, Cologne Attendance: 1,000 Referees: Horáček, Novotný (CZE)
	Gómez 9	(16–11)	Sandell 8
	1×	Report	1× 3×

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c The matches, scheduled for 7 and 8 April 2021, were assessed by the EHF after Zagreb had several cases of positive COVID-19 tests.^[4]
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l The match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
^ The match, originally scheduled for 31 March, was rescheduled to 1 April 2021.^[5]
^ The match, originally scheduled for 1 April, was rescheduled to 7 April 2021 and later postponed.^[5]
^ The match, originally scheduled for 8 April 2021 was postponed.^[5]
^ The match, originally scheduled for 31 March, was rescheduled to 2 April 2021.^[5]
^ The match was moved from the Terningen Arena, Elverum.^[5]
^ The match, originally scheduled for 7 April, was rescheduled to 5 April 2021.^[5]

References

^ "EHF Champions League Men 2020/21 season – Playing system and dates" (PDF). 16 June 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
^ "EHF adapts playing schedule for EHF Champions League". eurohandball.com. 10 February 2021.
^ "Procedures and criteria for the EHF CL Men play-offs". ehfcl.eurohandball.com. 29 March 2021.
^ "EHF calls off Flensburg vs Zagreb play-off tie". eurohandball.com. EHF. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "EHF Champions League Men schedule updates". ehfcl.eurohandball.com. EHF. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
^ "EHF FINAL4 Men draw date confirmed". eurohandball.com. 21 May 2021.
^ "Debutants Aalborg face PSG, Barça take on Nantes in semi-finals". eurohandball.com. 25 May 2021.

External links

Final4 Official website

[Flensburg-5] The matches, scheduled for 7 and 8 April 2021, were assessed by the EHF after Zagreb had several cases of positive COVID-19 tests.^[4]

[Behind_closed_doors-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l The match was played behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[8] The match, originally scheduled for 31 March, was rescheduled to 1 April 2021.^[5]

[9] The match, originally scheduled for 1 April, was rescheduled to 7 April 2021 and later postponed.^[5]

[10] The match, originally scheduled for 8 April 2021 was postponed.^[5]

[11] The match, originally scheduled for 31 March, was rescheduled to 2 April 2021.^[5]

[12] The match was moved from the Terningen Arena, Elverum.^[5]

[13] The match, originally scheduled for 7 April, was rescheduled to 5 April 2021.^[5]

[1] "EHF Champions League Men 2020/21 season – Playing system and dates" (PDF). 16 June 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.

[2] "EHF adapts playing schedule for EHF Champions League". eurohandball.com. 10 February 2021.

[3] "Procedures and criteria for the EHF CL Men play-offs". ehfcl.eurohandball.com. 29 March 2021.

[4] "EHF calls off Flensburg vs Zagreb play-off tie". eurohandball.com. EHF. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.

[Update-7] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "EHF Champions League Men schedule updates". ehfcl.eurohandball.com. EHF. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.

[14] "EHF FINAL4 Men draw date confirmed". eurohandball.com. 21 May 2021.

[15] "Debutants Aalborg face PSG, Barça take on Nantes in semi-finals". eurohandball.com. 25 May 2021.

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