SUMMARY: Barça with dominant win; Aalborg edge Magdeburg

• day one of the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2024: semi-finals of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24
• Saturday's semi-finals:
• Barça vs THW Kiel 30:18
• SC Magdeburg vs Aalborg 26:28
• Sunday's matches:
• final 18:00 CEST Aalborg vs Barça
• 3/4 placement match 15:00 CEST Magdeburg vs THW Kiel
• see how to follow the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4. Watch all matches live on EHFTV (geo-restrictions may apply)
• Courtney Gahan reporting live from Cologne. All photos © kolektiff images

Saturday 8 June

20:32

That brings us to the end of the live blog coverage of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24 semi-finals, and now we can look forward to a thrilling day as the title is decided on Sunday. 

The schedule for tomorrow: 

• final 18:00 CEST Aalborg vs Barça
• 3/4 placement match 15:00 CEST Magdeburg vs THW Kiel

See you then!

20:30

A superb day of semi-finals at the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2024, and you can relive it all on the Home of Handball YouTube, with highlights of both matches available. 

19:55

So the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2023/24 trophy will go to either Aalborg or Barça, after two very different semi-finals — one nail-biter to the end; one close to a record victory at the event. 

Sunday's final will be a rematch of the 2021 title game, where Barça did record the biggest win ever in Cologne — 36:23. Aalborg will be hoping for things to be very different this time around. 

And there are two important individual pieces of news confirmed based on the semi-finals:

• Mikkel Hansen still has the chance to win his first ever EHF Champions League trophy, after taking every title available with the national team but never topping the podium in the top-flight club competition
• PSG line player Kamil Syprzak is likely to clinch the season's top scorer crown, as Dika Mem, his closest rival still in the competition, must score 14 to pass him

19:49

Missed today's action at the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4? Recap how Barça and Aalborg reached the final below, with the Denmark duo of Emil Nielsen and Niklas Landin in starring roles. 

19:30 RESULT | BARÇA VS THW KIEL 30:18

A stunning performance from Barça sees them take the second-biggest victory ever recorded at the EHF FINAL4 Men, just one goal behind their own record. Kiel's goal tally is the lowest ever scored at the event, highlighting the Spanish team's magnificent defensive display. 

19:21 52nd MINUTE | BARÇA VS THW KIEL 27:17

Emil Nielsen comes off court for Gonzalo Perez de Vargas to go into goal for Barça, leaving with a 15 saves at a rate of 46.88 per cent. The entire arena makes their appreciation for the Danish keeper's performance known, as he receives a rousing round of applause. 

19:19 51st MINUTE | BARÇA VS THW KIEL 27:17

The last 10 minutes begin with a 10-goal difference, and Barça's fans are celebrating the almost certain victory now. 

Barça were responsible for the biggest win ever recorded at the EHF FINAL4 Men — +13 against none other than Aalborg in the 2021 final. Can they possibly beat their own record here? 

19:09 43rd MINUTE | BARÇA VS THW KIEL 21:14

The timeout worked wonders for Barça, who now take their turn keeping their opponents scoreless and reclaim a more commanding advantage. It's still not too late for Kiel to come back from the difference, but the momentum does not appear to be in their favour. 

Looking to the individual statistics, Emil Nielsen continues to be a huge factor, with 12 saves now. Should Barça reach the final, it will be a direct battle between the two Denmark national team goalkeepers, after Niklas Landin was the key in crunchtime for Aalborg. Attacking-wise, the effort is well spread on both sides, which is particularly interesting for tomorrow's final, as Aalborg required a lot of power to defeat Magdeburg while the pace in this encounter and the workload division might help keep the second finalists more fresh. 

19:02 38th MINUTE | BARÇA VS THW KIEL 18:14

Timeout Barça after Kiel score four unanswered goals to put themselves in a much better position for their comeback attempt.

Anyone who witnessed the quarter-finals will remember that THW managed a nine-goal comeback in the second leg, beating their opponents Montpellier on aggregate thanks to a seemingly impossible 10-goal victory. 

They did it with persistence, with a five-goal lead at half-time in the second leg that was promising but far from enough to secure the aggregate victory, and believing and pushing through to the end to take the necessary win that would bring them to Cologne. 

The same is needed here. Can they do it? 

18:55 31st MINUTE | BARÇA VS THW KIEL 15:9

Back to action in the second semi-final. Can Kiel pull off a six-goal comeback? LANXESS arena has seen bigger comebacks in shorter time periods before, so it's far from out of the question. 

But if Emil Nielsen, supporting great defence from Barça, can keep his form, THW will have a hard time overcoming the deficit. 

18:40 HALF-TIME | BARÇA VS THW KIEL 15:9

Eight saves at a rate of 47.06 per cent from Emil Nielsen are the key for Barça as they power through the final minutes of the first half to extend their advantage over Kiel, who are left with a mammouth task for the second period. 

18:29 23rd MINUTE | BARÇA VS THW KIEL 10:7

The scoring drought breaks after six minutes with no goal, as Aitor Ariño nets for Barça in the 22nd, following his last strike in the 16th. Kiel follow suit thanks to Niclas Ekberg, after 12 minutes without a goal from the German team. 

THW have changed goalkeeper to bring in Tomas Mrkva for Samir Bellahcene, but Barça's Emil Nielsen is really stealing the show between the posts with six saves at a rate of 46.15 per cent. 

18:22 19th MINUTE | BARÇA VS THW KIEL 9:6

Timeout Kiel as the German side really find themselves struggling, with no goal since the 11th minute. To their credit, Kiel have kept Barça out of the goal for a short period as well — just over three minutes — so the score line is not growing. 

In contrast to the first semi-final, this game is all about defence and is much slower paced. 

18:17 16th MINUTE | BARÇA VS THW KIEL 9:6

It turns out to be temporary relief for Kiel, who struggle to find chances for promising shots against Barça's defence. And when THW do find an opportunity, Emil Nielsen is often in the way. The Danish goalkeeper has made three saves so far — not a huge number, but enough to make a difference and cause Kiel trouble. 

At the other end of the court, Barça's attack does not have the same problems, and they reopen a gap in their favour. 

18:11 10th MINUTE | BARÇA VS THW KIEL 4:4

We hit the 10-minute mark in the second semi-final with the score equal, but Kiel endured a rocky start before finding themselves on level footing. Barça scored three unanswered goals and, even after wing Rune Dahmke netted THW's first goal of the game in the fourth minute, Barça added another for 4:1. 

But Kiel have risen, scoring a 3:0 partial to bring the match back to level. 

18:04 4th MINUTE | BARÇA VS THW KIEL 2:0

Barça's defence has shown up ready to play, with Emil Nielsen making a save in the opening minutes and the Spanish side causing a couple of turnovers from THW already. 

18:01 1st MINUTE | BARÇA VS THW KIEL 0:0

Semi-final two begins! Kiel start in attack. 

17:55

Barça have entered the arena and it's THW Kiel's turn now, as we prepare for semi-final two to begin in just a few minutes. 

17:38

With 22 minutes to go until the second semi-final, Barça and THW Kiel are in the last phase of their warm-up. In contrast to semi-final one, which featured two sides appearing for only the second time, Barça and Kiel are the most experienced clubs at the EHF FINAL4. 

Record title holders Barça aim to return to the final after missing it last year, but winning the title the two preceding years. Before that, it was Kiel who raised the trophy, with the German side back in Cologne after a two-year gap. Last time they were here, they were defeated by none other than Barça in the semi-final. 

17:07

Hardly time to recover from the thrilling first semi-final before we are due for another one! Barça and THW Kiel have taken the court for their warm-up. Who will join Aalborg in the final? 

16:40 RESULT | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 26:28

Aalborg return to the EHF Champions League final as they beat Magdeburg by two goals. It's Sebastian Barthold who has the final say, deciding the outcome with 10 seconds on the clock as he nets his sixth goal from as many attempts. 

16:38 60th MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 26:27

Two more saves from Niklas Landin and an eighth strike from Mads Hoxer see Aalborg create the first two-goal distance of the match. Magdeburg answer but we are now down to 24 seconds to go and Aalborg have possession. 

16:34 58th MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 25:26

Into the final minutes — will they be the final minutes? — of semi-final one and Aalborg have brough Niklas Landin back into goal. The Danish stalwart has the experience to deliver in crunchtime, having done it many times before even when not having his best match. Proving that, he has already made a critical save in this important moment of the game. 

16:27 52ND MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 22:22

Into the last 10 minutes of the match with the game still completely one-for-one. Not once has the score line been more than one. 

Aalborg's Rene Antonsen has just hobbled off the court with what looks to be a minor injury, which could be a blow for the Danish side. 

Looking to the goalkeepers, Fabian Norsten is still clearly winning this contest, now almost matching Sergey Hernandez's number of saves (eight for the Aalborg keeper to nine for the Magdeburg goalie) despite playing far less time. 

16:19 47th MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 19:20

Mikkel Hansen gives Aalborg a one-goal edge with what is his fourth goal in the game, as he begins to play a more important role for the Danish side.

Meanwhile, Omar Ingi Magnusson has reached a huge tally of eight goals. He could end up joining the list of players with most goals in one EHF FINAL4 match, but needs a few more goals in order to do that. Seven players have hit the 10-goal mark before, and eight more have passed that. 

Off the court, THW Kiel and Barça have arrived at LANXESS arena for semi-final two. 

16:13 43rd MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 18:18

A pause in the game as the referees go to the video replay and come away with a red card for Magdeburg's Christian O'Sullivan. That gives O'Sullivan an interesting record of three red cards in three TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 matches, as he was sent off in last year's semi-final and final. 

With the match still so close, tension is high and will certainly only continue to build. 

16:04 38th MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 15:15

Eight minutes into the second period and the contest remains absolutely equal. What will separate these two in the end? 

Aalborg coach Stefan Madsen has rotated his line-up much more than Magdeburg's Bennet Wiegert so far, which could prove important — more players with a feel for the game ready to come back on after some rest. But on the other hand, Magdeburg will have a lot of entirely fresh players on the bench able to come on if needed. 

15:56 32nd MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 12:11

Aalborg keeper Fabian Norsten prevents Magdeburg from creating the first two-goal lead of the match with a spectacular save on a fast break. With that, the 23-year-old Swede maintains his 50 per cent rate. Norsten is looking very much like a key in this game right now. 

15:53 31st MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 11:11

The second half begins! 30 minutes to decide the first finalists of the season — or will we need more time? 

15:39 HALF-TIME | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 11:11

Magdeburg pull the game back to level and we will start the second half with the score equal. 

Magdeburg right back Omar Ingi Magnusson top scores the first half with five goals from five attempts, while Mads Hoxer has netted four for Aalborg. Behind them, Felix Claar and Sebastian Barthold have scored two each, for Magdeburg and Aalborg, respectively. No other players tally more than one goal. 

In goal for Aalborg, Fabian Norsten has had the strongest performance of the keepers so far, ending the half with a rate of 50 per cent after facing six shots. Sergey Hernandez has stopped six shots but faced 17, making his rate 35.29 per cent. 

15:33 27th MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 10:11

Mikkel Hansen, on the quest for his first title in the EHF Champions League — the only major competition he has not won, scores his first to give Aalborg a one-goal edge in a critical moment with half-time approaching. 

But it looks as though we are heading for a level score or very narrow difference at the break. 

15:29 25th MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 10:10

Five minutes from the break, it's still all square as Aalborg coach Stefan Madsen calls the first timeout of the match. 

15:24 20th MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 9:9

We enter the last 10 minutes of the score equal, and the contest extremely tight as the teams take turns scoring first to take a one-goal edge before their opponents level the game. The distance has never been greater than one yet. 

In Aalborg's goal, Fabian Norsten has come in for Niklas Landin, after Landin stopped one ball. Norsten has only faced two shots so far, but saved one, giving him a strong start. At the other end of the court, Sergey Hernandez has now stopped three. 

15:18 16th MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 7:6

We end the first quarter with the match still one-for-one as neither side have edged ahead by two yet. It remains all about the back courts, with only one goal from the wing so far — off Magdeburg's Matthias Musche. 

15:13 11th MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 5:5

A big cheer as Mikkel Hansen takes the court for the first time, facing Sergey Hernandez in a penalty. Hernandez saves the attempt. 

Both goalkeepers have now made one save each, but faced six shots so have low save rates, and Aalborg's second keeper Fabian Norsten starts to warm up on the bench. 

15:09 6th MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 3:3

All square so far, with a fast-paced start and no saves from the keepers, Niklas Landin for Aalborg and Sergey Hernandez for Magdeburg, yet. 

Magdeburg have started with the back-court combination of Omar Ingi Magnusson on right back, Gisli Kristjansson in centre back and Felix Claar on the left. On Aalborg's end, it's Aleks Vlah in the middle, Thomas Arnoldsen on the left and Mads Hoxer on the right back. 

All the goals so far have come from the backs, with each of them netting one apiece. 

15:03 1ST MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 1:1

Two goals in the first 45 seconds, with Mads Hoxer netting for Aalborg followed by a quick response from Mageburg with Omar Ingi Magnusson finding the goal. 

15:02 1ST MINUTE | SC MAGDEBURG VS AALBORG 0:0

Here we go! The TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 has really begun, as Aalborg throw off in attack. 

14:56

The entry procedure is underway, with Aalborg now coming on court and Magdeburg lined up keeping warm. 

While many of Magdeburg's players were part of the title win last year, only Niklas Landin has experienced the victory before, playing with THW Kiel in 2020. At that time, Lukas Nilsson had only just departed from Kiel, as the EHF FINAL4 took place in December due to Covid-19.  

14:50

The opening show is underway, the players are getting ready to gather in the tunnel, and the starting whistle at the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2024 is imminent. 

Some technical information about the matches: If a semi-final is level at the end of regular time, one period of overtime (2 x 5 minutes) will be played. Should the score still be level, the match will proceed to a penalty shootout. 

14:40

The teams are in the final stages of their warm-up and are about to leave the court for their last stop in the dressing rooms and final preparation talks while we enjoy the opening show. 

Wondering where you can watch the games? See where to watch in your country below, with all matches streamed live on EHFTV with geo-restrictions. 

14:36

Those who witnessed the final between Magdeburg and Kielce last year will not forget the sad fact that Polish journalist Pawel Kotwica passed away during the match. In honour of Pawel, his place in the media tribune has been reserved again in 2024.

14:31

Under 30 minutes left until the 15th EHF FINAL4 Men begins! Aalborg and Magdeburg are both getting their arms in as they warm up their goalkeepers and the arena is slowly filling up. 

14:12

Magdeburg take the court to join Aalborg in warming up for the opening semi-final. With both Aalborg and Magdeburg having contested the EHF FINAL4 once before, reaching the final, neither have lost the semi-final at the event — but one of them will experience that today. 

Magdeburg of course are the defending title holders, vying for what would be their third title overall in the Champions League, after 2023 and 2002. Coach Bennet Wiegert was involved in voth victories — in 2002 as a player, and last year leading the side. 

Aalborg played the final in 2021, losing to Barça. 

14:05

Aalborg have just entered the court to thunderous cheers, which the team will surely appreciate especially given their only EHF FINAL4 experience before was in the Covid-19 impacted 2020/21 season. Coach Stefan Madsen highlighted the experience they will enjoy this time in yesterday's media call: 

“The conditions are completely different. There will be fans with us this time. We have tried it once, the [EHF] FINAL4. It was a great experience, but tomorrow will be completely different. We have a lot more experience within the team and also as a team, and we know what we have to do to win: Bring an amazing performance.”

13:33

Magdeburg and Aalborg have arrived at LANXESS arena for the first semi-final and will soon take the court to start their warm-up. We are now less than 90 minutes away from the starting whistle! 

12:29

Less than three hours left until throw-off in semi-final one, Magdeburg vs Aalborg, let's start to dig deeper into the matches. 

Looking at the head-to-head history, this is only the third time these teams will meet in an official match, but the last two clashes were eight years ago so are hardly relevant with the greatly changed squads now. The record stands at one win apiece so far, when the sides faced each other in the group phase in 2015/16. 

On the other hand, the Barça vs Kiel battle has become a handball classic, with a total of 31 previous meetings. Barça have won 16 of those, Kiel 12, and three ended in a draw. The teams last met in the group phase in 2021/22, and the clubs have played the final of the Champions League against each other no less than six times. This will be their sixth time meeting in the semi-final stage. 

Most recently in the business end of the season, Kiel and Barça met in the 2021/22 semi-final, won by Barça. In 2020, Kiel won the final against Barça 33:28. 

Kiel coach Filip Jicha played for both clubs, raising the trophy with the German team twice as a player, in 2010 and 2012, and leading Kiel to the 2020 title win as coach. 

12:26

The record for most goals scored at the EHF FINAL4 belongs to Barça wing Aleix Gomez, who has netted 78 goals in 10 games played at the event. Behind him in joint-second is Aalborg back Mikkel Hansen, with 68 goals in his 14 matches. He shares the position with Macedonian back Kiril Lazarov, who also played 14 games in Cologne before retiring. 

Both Gomez and Hansen should add to their tallies this weekend, and therefore stay clear on top of the list. But with Hansen retiring after the Paris 2024 Olympics, this will be his last chance to increaase his number of goals, while 27-year-old Gomez has plenty of time to add more and more — so long as he makes it back to Cologne again. 

12:16

Looking at some all-time rankings surrounding the EHF FINAL4, one player is set to jump past several on the list of most matches played in Cologne this weekend: Gonzalo Perez de Vargas. 

Currently, the Spaniard sits on 16 matches played at the EHF FINAL4, alongside Momir Ilic, Raul Entrerrios, Viran Morros and Cedric Sorhaindo. Leading the ranking is Icelander Aron Palmarsson, with 19. With the two games this weekend, Perez de Vargas will jump up to 18 and be poised to take the record if he can make it back to the EHF FINAL4 again. 

11:53

While the fan vote for the EHF Excellence Awards will begin on June 11, there are two individual awards that will be decided this weekend: The MVP of the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2024 and the top scorer of the season. 

PSG line player Kamil Syprzak has a solid chance of clinching this title for the first time in his career, as he leads the standings clearly, with 112 goals scored this season — at an impressive rate of 80 per cent no less. If he takes it, he will be the first Polish player ever to do so.

But as Syprzak is not contesting the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4, his taly will not move, and that leaves the chance for a player participating in the semi-finals and finals to climb the ranking. 

Next in line behind Syprzak is GOG's Emil Madsen, who was top scorer last season, but is out of the competition. In third is the player who may be able to snatch the glory from Syprzak, as he will take part in the final weekend: Barça captain Dika Mem. He needs 16 goals to do it, which is no small feat, but is also not impossible. However, Mem says the top scorer title is nothing compared to the season trophy. 

11:38

A legend of the game no doubt — Mikkel Hansen has cemented his name in the history books with his multitude of All-star Team nods in the EHF Champions League, top scorer crowns and appearances at the EHF FINAL4. And that means plenty of recognition at the meet and greet last night, and even a few fans copying his iconic look!

As the Aalborg back looks to his last two matches in the Champions League, hoping to take the title for the first time, journalist Kevin Domas takes a look at his career, with the help of a few TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 players and coaches. Read the feature below. 

11:27

The TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2024 got underway officially last night with the opening party, which involved the teams being presented on stage and a meet and greet. Enjoy the highlights below!

11:00

Good morning from Cologne, where the long-awaited moment has arrived! Today we take the penultimate step towards finding the champions of the season, as the semi-finals take place.

The schedule:

• SC Magdeburg vs Aalborg 15:00 CEST
• Barça vs THW Kiel 18:00 CEST

Get the day started by brushing up on the key facts surrounding these matches with the preview.