Following the first leg games in the quarter-finals of the EHF European Cup Men 2021/22, all four participating teams had a realistic chance to advance to the semi-finals.
In the end, two Scandinavian teams are through after Norway's Drammen HK and Sweden's Alingsås HK defeated their rivals.
- Drammen, who had beaten HSG Suhr Aarau 31:29 at home, claimed a 33:32 victory in Switzerland and won 64:61 on aggregate
- Aarau's Manuel Zehnder scored 10 goals to finish as the top scorer of the match, but it was not enough for his team to progress
- after a 29:29 draw last weekend, Alingsås enjoyed a successful trip to the Czech Republic, defeating Talent tym Plzenskeho kraje 29:25 and winning the tie 58:54 on aggregate
- after narrowly leading 15:13 early in the second half, the Swedish team then enjoyed a 6:0 run which had a crucial role in the outcome
- Nærbø IL and CS Minaur Baia Mare also reached the semi-finals, as their matches with SKA Minsk (BLR) and HC Viktor (RUS) were cancelled
Norwegian derby to follow
Two of the four semi-finalists in the EHF European Cup Men represent Norway, and one of them will progress to the final, as Drammen and Nærbø are set to face each other in the next stage.
Meanwhile, Alingsås will meet the only non-Scandinavian team still alive in the tournament: Minaur Baia Mare from Romania. The semi-finals will be held on 23/24 April and 30 April/1 May.