GOG challenge title holders Flensburg as quarter-finals throw off

EHF / Sergey Nikolaev

22 April 2025, 10:00

Eight teams from five countries — Germany (three), France (two), Spain, Denmark, and Portugal — are still in the race for the four coveted spots at the Maschinensucher EHF Finals 2025 in Hamburg. The quarter-finals of the EHF European League Men 2024/25 start Tuesday with the first leg, in which the four teams that advanced from the play-offs host the four teams that won a main round group and qualified directly for this stage of the competition.

The four pairings promise two exciting nights of handball. Although both Germany and France still have more than one team in the running, no national derbies take place. Title holders SG Flensburg-Handewitt face a tricky trip over the German-Danish border as they visit GOG, while the other German contenders — MT Melsungen and THW Kiel — face opponents from Spain (Irudek Bidasoa Irun) and France (Limoges Handball), respectively. In the only encounter with no German team, FC Porto host Montpellier Handball in a thrilling Portuguese-French clash.

QUARTER-FINALS, FIRST LEG

MT Melsungen (GER) vs Irudek Bidasoa Irun (ESP)
Tuesday 22 April, 18:45 CEST, live on EHFTV

in the play-offs, Melsungen defeated fellow German side VfL Gummersbach by the slightest of margins, 55:54 on aggregate
Irun earned a direct quarter-final spot after winning main round group II
the teams have never faced each other in European club competitions
Melsungen's Spanish left wing Ian Barrufet is the joint fifth-best scorer of the competition with 71 goals; Asier Nieto is Irun's leading scorer with 40 goals
on Saturday, Melsungen earned a hard-fought win in the Bundesliga when they beat Gummersbach once again: 26:25 at home
on the same day, Irun defeated Fraikin BM. Granollers, who reached the EHF European League main round this season, in a Spanish league encounter: 30:28

GOG (DEN) vs SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER)
Tuesday 22 April, 18:45 CEST, live on EHFTV

GOG reached the quarter-finals after narrowly defeating Sport Lisboa e Benfica in the play-offs: 65:64 on aggregate
title holders Flensburg booked a direct quarter-final ticket after finishing top of main round group IV
the German side is still unbeaten in the current EHF European league season with eight wins and two draws; they have scored 37.1 goals on average in their 10 matches
left wing August Pedersen is Flensburg's top scorer in the competition with 53 goals; centre back Tobias Grøndahl netted 64 times for GOG
Flensburg have nine Danish players in their squad, and seven of them - Kevin Møller, Emil Jakobsen, Lukas Jørgensen, Simon Pytlick, Andreas Holst, Lasse Møller, and Niclas Kirkeløkke – played for GOG in the past
on Thursday, Flensburg won at SC DHfK Leipzig (33:31) in a Bundesliga game; GOG proved too strong for TT Holstebro (34:27) in the Danish league on Saturday

Limoges Handball (FRA) vs THW Kiel (GER)
Tuesday 22 April, 20:45 CEST, live on EHFTV

Limoges, who are European cup debutants, reached the quarter-final following a 65:64 win on aggregate against HC Kriens-Luzern in the play-offs
now the French side will face the much more experienced Kiel, who have won both the EHF Champions League and the EHF Cup four times
Kiel progressed directly to the quarter-final after finishing top of main round group III; the German side is unbeaten in the competition, winning nine of their 10 games and only splitting the points with Melsungen when their main round match ended 26:26
with 82 goals, Limoges' Ihor Turchenko is the second-best scorer of the current European League season and the best among the players still in the competition
right wing Bence Imre and right back Emil Madsen are Kiel's leading scorers in the tournament, with 41 and 40 goals respectively
Kiel played two Bundesliga games last week, losing 36:34 against Füchse Berlin before beating Frisch Auf Goppingen 36:29; Limoges defeated US Ivry HB 23:33 in a French league match on Thursday

FC Porto (POR) vs Montpellier Handball (FRA)
Tuesday 22 April, 20:45 CEST, live on EHFTV

this is the only quarter-final tie without a German team
Porto progressed to the quarter-finals after beating another team from France, FENIX Toulouse, in the play-offs: 63:58 on aggregate
Montpellier booked a direct quarter-final spot after finishing top of group I in the main round
the French side, who are two-time EHF Champions League winners, won nine of their 10 matches in the current European League campaign, losing only to GOG in the main round
both teams' best scorers in the current tournament have a tally of 44 goals: Mamadou Soumare for Porto, and Sebastian Karlsson for Montpellier
on Friday, Montpellier beat Chambéry Savoie Mont-Blanc Handball 36:25 in the French league, while Porto defeated Maritimo Madeira 37:21 in the Portuguese cup quarter-final

photos © Lau Nielsen / GOG (main); Limoges handball (in-text)