For the third time in history, Aalborg Handball is ready for the Champions League Final Four.
After reaching a 31-31 draw on the road against Portuguese Sporting CP in the first quarter-final leg, the North Jutland outfit claimed the ticket to the final weekend in Cologne with the smallest possible margin after a 37-36 victory at home.
The last time Aalborg qualified for the Final Four was two years ago. On that occasion, the team made it all the way to the final, where FC Barcelona beat the Danes. Also in 2021, Aalborg reached the semi-finals.
The first 30 minutes of Wednesday's clash against Sporting were played at an increased pace.
The brothers Francisco and Martim Costa gave the home side big problems in defense, which was not entirely unexpected. The Costa brothers belong in the absolute world top.
For a long time, Aalborg were behind by one or two goals, but towards the interval, they managed to change that.
Niklas Landin in goal was excellent. He had a save percentage of over 40 at the break, and this meant that the home team went into the interval leading 18-17.
Thomas Arnoldsen, Mads Hoxer, and Juri Knorr accounted for 13 of the 18 goals.
Early in the second half, the Danes increased their lead to three goals. And while Arnoldsen, Hoxer, and Knorr were kept fresh with small resting periods on the bench along the way, all responsibility lay on the shoulders of the Costa brothers for Sporting throughout virtually the entire 60 minutes.
They managed that beautifully. Francisco Costa, in particular, had a superb match and delivered 13 goals in 14 attempts. Martim Costa scored eight goals in eight attempts.
But the Costa brothers being the only significant contribution in attack was insufficient for the visitors against the Danish champions, who had more quality in depth.
Simon Hald scored from the line to make it 37-34 with just over two minutes left, and thus the game seemed decided. Sporting managed to cut the deficit to 36-37, but it was too little too late.
Final Four will take place on 13-14 June in Cologne.
