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All rights reserved The TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 Men 2023 took place at the LANXESS arena in Cologne The top four teams of the EHF Champions League Men vied for the prestigious European title and for a spot at the 2023 IHF Men's Super Globe The draw for the semi-finals of the event was staged in Cologne Paris Saint-Germain Handball vs Barlinek Industria Kielce 24:25 Barça vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball 37:31 SC Magdeburg vs Barlinek Industria Kielce 30:29 To know more about the event, visit ehfcl.eurohandball.com By continuing to browse ihf.info, you agree to our terms of use , privacy policy and the use of cookies. For more information, please review our cookie policy With the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 just around the corner the referee nominations for the semi-finals placement match and final have been confirmed Slovenia's Bojan Lah and David Sok will referee the final on Sunday 18 June The pair have whistled a number of Machineseeker EHF Champions League matches this season including the second leg of the quarter-finals between Barlinek Industria Kielce and Telekom Veszprém They were also the referees for the semi-final of the Men's EHF EURO 2022 between France and Sweden Icelanders Jonas Eliasson and Anton Palsson will oversee the first semi-final while Czech duo Vaclav Horacek and Jiri Novotny are whistling the second semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Kielce Norwegians Lars Jorum and Havard Kleven are nominated for the placement match that will decide this year's bronze medallists The TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 takes place in Cologne on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 June 2023 SEMI-FINAL 1SC Magdeburg (GER) vs Barça (ESP)Saturday 17 June Referees: Jonas Eliasson/Anton Palsson (Iceland)Delegates: Jan Kampman (Denmark EHF Competitions Commission) and Marco Trespidi (Italy SEMI-FINAL 2Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) vs Barlinek Industria Kielce (POL)Saturday 17 June Referees: Vaclav Horacek/Jiri Novotny (Czech Republic)Delegates: Helmut Wille (Austria 3/4 PLACEMENT MATCHLoser semi-final 1 vs loser semi-final 2Sunday 18 June Referees: Lars Jorum/Havard Kleven (Norway) FINALWinner semi-final 1 vs winner semi-final 2Sunday 18 June You said no to using cookies or similar tools that help improve your experience. To see this content, you would need to update your Privacy Preferences DRAW: Recent champions meet and potential first-time winners clash in hotly-anticipated semi-finals after TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 semi-final… DRAW: The four sides who made it through the qualification tournaments now know who they will face in Cologne QUARTER-FINAL REVIEW: A 30:29 victory for Szeged was not enough to book their first ticket to Cologne a single goal separated the 2023 title winners and Veszprém QUARTER-FINAL REVIEW: 2018 finalists end Sporting CP’s Machineseeker EHF Champions League journey with second quarter-final win QUARTER-FINAL REVIEW: After a nine-goal win in the first leg HANDBALL THROUGH MY EYES: Versatile One Veszprém back Nedim Remili reveals why he loves handball OFFICIAL STATEMENT: Court of Handball issues further decision regarding withdrawal of Vipers from EHF Champions League NEWS: Györi Audi ETO KC will meet Team Esbjerg and Metz Handball will play against Odense Håndbold on 31 May in the MVM Dome in Budapest STATS COUNTER: Julian Rux analyses the data to provide statistical insights for the Match of the Week The IHF Men’s Super Globe winners in 2021 and 2022 wrote another page of history at the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 in Cologne securing their second-ever title in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League with an outstanding performance over the last weekend which were considered huge underdogs before the start of the competition powered through to the title with an excellent performance clinching a win against the Spanish powerhouse on penalties moving on to win the final against Barlinek Industria Kielce in extra-time The German side completed an astonishing performance over the last two seasons opening their account in the EHF European League Men adding another international trophy with a win in the 2021 IHF Men’s Super Globe before going on to become German champions only for the second time in their history in the 2021/22 season That meant that Magdeburg got a spot in the European premium competition they also clinched their second IHF Men’s Super Globe title in a row sealing another win in extra time against Barça They became only the third team in history to win four international competitions in three seasons but also the eighth team to win two EHF Champions League titles and the one who had to wait the longest to secure their second trophy a team which saw crucial players go down with injuries this season when Barça went up three goals in the second half of their semi-final especially as the Spanish powerhouse was unbeaten this season A sturdy comeback saw Magdeburg push the game into extra time after Michael Damgaard acrobatically saved a shot in the last second after influential centre back Gísli Kristjánsson went down with a shoulder injury apparently aggravating his previous injury which looked set to take him out for the season as they eventually sealed a 40:39 win on penalties after Barça missed four penalties through Melvyn Richardson Barlinek Industria Kielce took a nail-biting 25:24 win against Paris Saint-Germain Handball denying the French side another chance to fight for the title the All-Star goalkeeper at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship stealing the show with 12 saves for a 37% saving efficiency While Barça sealed a 37:31 win in the bronze medal game against PSG handing the French champions their first-ever loss in a bronze medal game in six tries at the EHF FINAL4 The fourth final in the current format to go into extra time saw Kielce take a four-goal lead in the second half only for Magdeburg to mount an impressive comeback And it was all down to their excellent back line spearheaded by right back Kay Smits and Kristjánsson despite being clearly hampered by his shoulder injury The German side pushed the game into extra time after the scoreline was tied (26:26) after 60 minutes only for Kristjánsson to take over the game and deliver an all-time performance for Magdeburg It was the second title in the European premium competition for Magdeburg and the second final loss in a row for Kielce as the German side celebrated with their fans 19,750 fans made their way to the LANXESS Arena in Cologne Kristjánsson earned the MVP plaudits for this edition of the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 while Kay Smits scored 19 goals over the weekend but failed to win the top goal scorer title of the season who went to Danish back Emil Wernsdorf Madsen from GOG Photo: European Handball Federation / Kolektiff Images the names of the 20 clubs seeking a spot in next season's EHF Champions League Men have been announced by the EHF The registered teams have been divided in two categories: teams from countries with a fixed place in the EHF Champions League and requests for an additional place from nations with at least one team in the competition or for an upgrade from the EHF European League from countries without a place in the EHF Champions League A total of 10 registered teams have a fixed place provided that all the respective requirements are fulfilled by these clubs as outlined by the competition's regulations 10 more clubs are seeking a spot as an additional place or an upgrade All four of this year's EHF FINAL4 participants - Barça SC Magdeburg and Barlinek Industria Kielce - are among the teams with guaranteed spots The playing system in the upcoming season remains unchanged and the group phase of the EHF Champions League 2023/24 will consist of two groups with eight teams each the evaluation group will prepare recommendations on Monday 19 June with the final line-up for the new season to be announced by Wednesday 21 June The draw for the group phase is scheduled for Tuesday 27 June in Vienna Registered teams EHF Champions League Men 2023/24 Teams from countries with a fixed place in the Champions League if all requirements are met DEN - GOGESP - BarçaFRA - Paris Saint-Germain HandballGER - THW KielGER - SC MagdeburgHUN - Telekom Veszprém HCMKD - HC Eurofarm PelisterPOL - Barlinek Industria KielcePOR - FC PortoSLO - RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko Requests for additional places and upgrades: CRO - HC ZagrebROU - CS Dinamo BucurestiSWE - IFK KristianstadNOR - Kolstad HandballPOR - Sporting CPFRA - Montpellier HandballDEN - Aalborg HandboldHUN - OTP Bank-Pick Szeged POL - Orlen Wisla PlockSUI - Kadetten Schaffhausen The company has recently bought two pieces of land totaling 35.3 hectares in Bacau county Both Cersanit and Barlinek are controlled by Michal Solowow The new factory is also aimed at limiting the impact of the strong Polish currency as the company sells one fifth of its production in dollars which has resulted in losses due to the depreciation of the US dollar in the first half of the year A factory outside Poland is meant to protect the group's main operations Cersanit controls the majority share package in Cersanit Romania The company grew its turnover by 48 percent in the first half of the year double the loss in the first half of last year is also planning to expand its production at its Diana Forest Bacau unit The company took over the factory earlier this year from two companies in the Spanish Martinsa – Fadesa group We use cookies for keeping our website reliable and secure providing social media features and to analyse how our website is used Bennet Wiegert was part of Germany's national team at the IHF Men's Junior World Championship as a young player wanting to make his mark in the world of handball twice an IHF Men's Super Globe winner and an EHF Champions League Men champion as a coach but he has never forgotten the first steps in the sport Wiegert guided SC Magdeburg towards one of the most astonishing wins in the history of the European premium handball as the German powerhouse created a path towards the trophy after a gruelling season marked by injuries and problems they cancelled a three-goal lead for reigning champions Barca to take a 40:39 win on penalties then they went and clinched a 30:28 win against Barlinek Industria Kielce in the final after extra-time Wiegert and his team were greeted as true heroes in Magdeburg as over 10,000 fans came on Monday to the Alter Markt celebrating their second trophy in the European premium competition after a 21-year-long wait But after two days of partying and celebrating the momentous achievement to attend some of the matches of the first day at the 2023 IHF Men's Junior World Championship especially in the way the season went for us the parties were great; we are a bit tired so I cannot see the reason why I should not see some more handball," said Magdeburg's coach a team where he spent 12 years as a player and his entire coaching career as a head coach Wiegert was in the GETEC Arena for the game between Poland and the United States of America He was also the one to hand over the hummel Player of the Match award to Szymon Wiaderny coincidentally a player for Barlinek Industria Kielce exactly the team Magdeburg beat to clinch the trophy in the European premium competition whenever I know that there are games in the arena My daughter was here with her school class to see the games so I thought it was a good idea to pop in myself," says Magdeburg's coach when asked about why he decided to attend a game at the IHF Men's Junior World Championship "This is where the stories are born; this is where the players make their first steps into handball it is always nice to come back and see how they are developing and see who are the best prospects for the future," adds Wiegert But who are the best prospects for the future As this championship is co-hosted by Germany with plenty of players from the roster already featuring in the Bundesliga yet none of them currently at SC Magdeburg their first title in the competition since back-to-back wins at Egypt 2009 and Greece 2011 one that started Germany/Greece 2023 with a bang (35:14) against Libya if not the one to take the trophy when the final whistle is blown "I will go and watch them too and really support them," says Wiegert as Germany will be coming to Magdeburg to play in the main round provided they secure a berth with a win in the last two games against Tunisia and Algeria it is not a question about progressing from the preliminary round who played five games for Germany's senior national team spearheaded by talented players like goalkeeper David Späth back Renars Uščins or left wing Tim Freihöfer and I know how talented they are and what they can do on the court," concludes Wiegert Magdeburg will have one more reason to celebrate as the handball-mad country certainly knows how to receive and treat champions in front of a packed Max-Schmeling-Halle in 10 days' time The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com Bahrain and Asian clubs’ champions Al Najma Club suffered a last-second 26- 27 defeat to Barlinek Industria Kielce of Poland yesterday in their opening match of the prestigious IHF Men’s Super Globe in Dammam organised by the International Handball Federation (IHF) with 12 champion clubs from around the world taking part Szymon Sicko scored in the very last second of the match to claim the win in Group D of the tournament’s preliminary round where they are in the same pool as the San Francisco Calheat from the US A Mohammed Habib Ahmed effort with two minutes remaining gave the Bahrainis a slim 26- 25 edge after trailing by as many as five goals in the second half as Najma missed out on a golden opportunity to complete an impressive comeback Najma will be looking to bounce back when they return to action today against the Calheat at 12.15pm Ahmed finished as Najma’s leading scorer in the game yesterday against Barlinek Industria Kielce with eight goals while Mohammed Ali Abdulredha and Sayed Shubbar Ali had a goal each Komail Mahfouz and Abdulla Al Zaimour chipped in with a goal apiece Artsem Karalek had five goals to pace the Poles while Nicolas Tournat and Pawel Paczkowski finished with four each Group A in the preliminaries features Al Ahly of Egypt Al Noor of Saudi and Barcelona from Spain; Group B includes Kuwait SC of Kuwait San Fernando HB of Argentina and Fuchse Berlin of Germany; while Group C comprises defending champions SC Magdeburg of Germany Khaleej from Saudi and University of Queensland from Australia the top team in each group move on to the semi-finals while the runners-up go to the fifth-to-eighth place bracket The bottom club in each group will play in the ninth-to-12th placement games to determine their final ranking Najma have a 16-player squad for the competition many of whom are players on the Kingdom’s senior men’s national team Najma are participating in the event for the second time following the 2018 edition when they finished seventh Najma secured their place in this year’s IHF Super Globe after being crowned champions of the 25th Asian Men’s Club League Championship The Bahrain handball giants also recently secured the Bahrain Handball Super Cup held just last Friday when they defeated Al Shabab 23-21 The match was a one-off contest that is the traditional opening fixture of the national handball season Bahrain and Asian clubs’ champions Al Najma Club yesterday kept their hopes alive of advancing to the semi-finals in the prestigious IHF Men’s Super Globe Najma outclassed the San Francisco Calheat from the US 29-22 to claim their first win in Group D of the competition’s preliminary round They had previously lost by a single goal to Barlinek Industria Kielce of Poland in their first game on Tuesday but are now in the hunt for a spot in the last four They moved to temporary first place on the pool standings with one game to go between the Calheat and Barlinek Industria Kielce That is scheduled to take place today at 12.15pm and it will determine the final ranking in Group D Only the top team in each of the four preliminary round pools move on to the semis The runners-up go to the fifth-to-eighth place bracket while the bottom clubs will play in the ninth-to12th placement games to determine their overall classification Najma and the Calheat were engaged in a tight battle in the first half yesterday with the Bahrainis going ahead by no more than three Najma went on an 8-3 scoring run to go up 20-12 Their biggest gap from the Calheat was 10 goals Mohammed Habib Ahmed finished as Najma’s leading scorer with nine goals He was later named the Player of the Match Saud Al Junaid and Sayed Ali Shubbar all finished with a goal each Felx Raff had seven goals while Benjamin Geisser added four in the losing effort Najma are participating in the IHF Super Globe for the second time