PARIS
vs
Aalborg Handbold in short
The Aalborg Handbold club as we know it today was founded on January 1, 2011, by the passionate duo Eigild B. Christensen and Jan Larsen. On the verge of extinction in the late 2000s, the club will experience its first success after this date, a real turning point in its history.
The club's first participation in the EHF Champions League was in the 2011/12 season. Aalborg defeated Flensburg in the quarter-finals of the 2020-21 edition and participated in the first Final4 in its history. The first success in the Danish Cup was obtained in 2018, before being crowned Champion two years in a row in 2019 and 2020, ahead of GOG Handbold each time.
The club has decided to retire the number 10 of Havard Tvedten, the Norwegian, voted Best Left Wing of the 2011 World Championships, after having spent 9 seasons at the club.
Following the 2021/22 EHF Champions League group stage, the club finished 1st with the best attack, above Kiel and Szeged. In the Round of 8, they were defeated by Veszprem, 71 - 66 on aggregate.
The Parisians against Aalborg
During the 2013-14 season, in Champions League, the club managed to get out of the group stage but their opponents in the round of 16, Barcelona, won the duel (42-60 on aggregate). The following season, the team got out of the group stage once again but Barcelona were still on their way. The Danish team lost 33-60.
PSG and Aalborg faced each other twice in Champions League during the 2019-20 season. On November 2, 2019, Paris won by 37 to 24 at home with 6 goals from Mikkel Hansen. On November 24, 2019, at Aalborg, PSG won by 32 to 29. Once again, Mikkel Hansen had a huge impact by scoring 7 goals.
The 2020-21 season has been exceptional for the club. Aalborg finished fourth in their group once again, but the club managed to defeat Porto in the Round of 16 to reach the first Champions League quarter-final in their history. Then in the Round of 8 against Flensburg, Aalborg's players pulled off a feat by eliminating the German club (55-54 on aggregate). Their next opponent will be PSG in semi-final on June 12, 2021, in Koln.
Players to follow Duel
Dutch international handball player since 2013 and playing at the center back position, Luc Steins is an unusual player. He was born in Voerendaal in the Netherlands and has a modest size, making him the smallest player in the French handball championship. Nevertheless, the Dutch player makes of his physique (1.73 meter for 69 kilos) a real strength because of the explosiveness he gives off in his game. An atypical style making the Parisian number 6 a unique and essential player for his selection and for Paris-Saint Germain.
Born on January 5th, 1997, in Norrkoping, Sweden, Felix Claar made his international debut with his national team against Poland at only 20 years old in 2017. If during the 2020/21 season he reached the 5-goal mark only twice, he allowed his team to eliminate Flensburg in the quarterfinals, finding the net 15 times in 2 games. At the 2022 European Championship, the 1.92m centre-half was part of the Swedish team that narrowly won (27-26) against the defending champions Spain.
The Gigantium
Willy Brandts, Vej 31 - 9220 Aalborg
Located on the southern outskirts of the city, near Aalborg University, the Gigantium is the official home of Aalborg Handbold and its women's section. Inaugurated in 1999, the hall has a capacity of 5,800 seats in handball configuration.
Bus lines 12 and 24N serve the compound at the Willy Brandts Vej stop.
