Two debutants, four countries and the first-ever Croatian team 

The defending champions Magdeburg, last year’s semi-finalists Plock and the EHF Finals debutants Benfica and Nexe will be drawn for the pinnacle event of the EHF Men’s European League. Nexe are the first-ever Croatian club to qualify for any EHF final tournament - and they have the quarter-final top scorer Halil Jaganjac in their squad. 

Here are many more facts and figures on the European League season 2021/22, the quarter-finals and the upcoming EHF Finals. 

1 team qualified unbeaten for the EHF Finals: defending champions SC Magdeburg (12 victories and two draws) 

1 Nexe are the first-ever Croatian club to qualify for any final tournament of Men’s EHF club competitions since the premiere of the EHF FINAL 4 in 2010 and the EHF Finals in 2013 

1 former EHF Champions League winner is still part of the competition: Magdeburg, winner in 2002 

1 German club only at the EHF Finals had happened the last time in 2016, when Göppingen won the trophy in Nantes 

1 time in the eight quarter-final matches, 70 or more goals were scored, in the 37:37 between GOG and Nexe in the second leg 

1 country is represented by participants of both EHF Finals men and women: Germany - Magdeburg and Bietigheim 

2 teams – Nexe & Benfica - made it from the first qualification round to the EHF Finals 

2 different nations represent the winners of the EHF Finals (formally EHF Cup) since 2013: Germany (7 trophies) and Hungary (1) 

2 clubs qualified for their first final tournament in any EHF club competition: Nexe and Benfica 

2 Benfica are the second Portuguese side to qualify for an EHF Finals tournament after FC Porto in 2019 

2 clubs made it for their second straight EHF Finals: defending champions Magdeburg and Plock 

2 teams - again Magdeburg and Plock - won both legs of the quarter-finals 

2 group winners qualified for the EHF Finals: Plock (group A) and Magdeburg (group C) - Nimes (winner of group D) had already failed in the Last 16 against Velenje, GOG (group B) against Nexe in the quarter-finals 

2 former EHF Finals participants were eliminated in the quarter-finals: Nantes (2013, 2016) and Velenje (2015) 

2 coaches, still in competition, are parallel national team coaches: Chema Rodriguez (Benfica/Hungary) and Javier Sabate (Plock/Czech Republic). 

3 of the four EHF Finals participants remained unbeaten in Last 16 and quarter-finals: Nexe, Magdeburg, Plock - by three victories and one draw each 

3 times in the 8 quarter-final matches, 60 and more goals were scored 

4 nations are represented by the four EHF Finals participants - for the first time since 2014 and the second time since the implementation in 2012/13  

4 - for the fourth time after 2017, 2018 and 2021, SC Magdeburg have qualified for EHF Finals 

4 of the eight quarter-final matches ended by home victories, each two by draws and away wins 

+5 goals were the closest margin in the quarter-finals: Magdeburg vs Nantes (58:53) and Nexe vs GOG (69:64) 

4 teams, which won the first leg of the quarter-finals (which means all), booked their tickets for the EHF Finals 

6 different clubs have won the EHF Finals since the premiere in 2013: Göppingen, Berlin (each 2), Rhein-Neckar Löwen, Szeged, Kiel and Magdeburg 

10 - Croatia is the 10th country represented at the EHF Finals since 2013 after Germany, France, Denmark, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Spain, Poland and Portugal 

10 matches since the start of the group phase ended with 70 or more goals 

12 goals were scored by Halil Jaganjac (in Nexe’s 37:37 against GOG) and Michael Damgaard (in Magdeburg’s 30:28 against Nantes) to become the joint individual high scorers in a single quarter-final 

12 victories each were taken by Magdeburg and Plock in the 14 matches since the start of the group phase 

13 was the biggest gap in terms of goals in a quarter-final match, when Plock beat Kadetten 35:22 

15 goals (68:53 in the duel Plock vs Schaffhausen) were the biggest overall margin in the quarter-finals 

15 of the 142 matches decided on court since the start of the group phase ended with a draw 

15 was the low-score of a team since the start of the group phase, Presov against Plock (29:15); the low-score of a single team in the quarter-finals was the 22 goals by Kadetten in the 35:22 in Plock  

16 was the biggest gap since the start of the group phase, when GOG beat Cocks 46:30 in the group phase 

21 goals (9+12) were scored by Nexe’s Halil Jaganjac in both quarter-finals against GOG to become the top scorer of this round ahead of Simon Pytlick (17) and Jerry Tollbring (15, both GOG) 

43 was the lowest score since the start of the group phase: Nexe’s 22:21 Last 16 away win in Bitola, while the 53 goals in Magdeburg’s 28:25 win in Nantes in the first leg was the lowest scoring quarter-final. 

46 was the high score of a team in a single match since the start of the group phase, when GOG beat Cocks 46:30, the high-score in the quarter-finals were 37 goals by GOG and Nexe (37:37) 

47 matches since the start of the group phase were won by the away teams 

59 matches since the start of the group phase ended with 60 or more goals 

69 goals were scored by Nexe in the quarter-finals tops the list ahead of Plock (68), Benfica (63) and Magdeburg (58) 

74 in the second leg of GOG vs Nexe (37:37) was the highest score in the quarter-finals 

80 of the 142 matches decided on court since the start of the group phase, were won by the home teams 

97 goals are on the tally of Halil Jaganjac since the start of the group phase to be top scorer still in competition, ahead of Petar Djordjic (Benfica/90) 

99 goals were scored by Mohamed Sanad (Nimes) since the start of the group phase to be the current top scorer of the competition 

473 goals were scored by Benfica since the start of the group phase meaning they have the best attack of those teams still in competition. They sit ahead of Magdeburg (440), Plock (438) and Nexe (415) 

484 goals were scored in the eight quarter-final matches, an average of 60.5 per match 

8390 goals were scored in those 134 matches since the start of the group phase, including 950 in the Last 16 and 6956 in the group phase 

Top lists: 

Highest-scoring matches since the start of the group phase: 

77 goals: GOG vs Benfica 39:38 (GP) 

76 goals: GOG vs Cocks 46:30 (GP) 

74 goals: GOG vs Nexe (37:37) QF 

74 goals: Lemgo vs Nantes 37:37 (GP) 

74 goals: Lemgo vs GOG 39:35 (GP) 

74 goals: Sävehof vs La Rioja 43:31 (GP) 

Lowest-scoring matches since the start of the group phase: 

43 goals: Pelister vs Nexe 21:22 (L16) 

44 goals: Presov vs Plock 15:29 (GP) 

46 goals: Tatabanya vs Pelister 25:21 (GP) 

46 goals: Nimes vs Tatabanya 24:22 (GP) 

47 goals: Pelister vs Nimes 21:26 (GP) 

… 

53 goals: Nantes vs Magdeburg (25:28) QF 

Biggest gaps matches since the start of the group phase: 

+16 goals: GOG vs Cocks 46:30 (GP) 

+14 goals: Tatabanya vs Sporting 23:37 (GP) 

+14 goals: Presov vs Plock 15:29 (GP) 

+14 goals: Winterthur vs Irun 23:37 (GP) 

+14 goals: Toulouse vs Presov 34:20 (GP) 

+13 goals: Plock vs Schaffhausen 35:22 (QF) 

Top scorers: 

99 goals: Mohamed Sanad (Nimes) 

97 goals: Halil Jaganjac (Nexe) 

94 goals: Jerry Tollbring (GOG) 

90 goals: Petar Djordjic (Benfica) 

82 goals: Samuel Zehnder (Kadetten)