2014–15 Women's EHF Champions League
# 2014–15 Women's EHF Champions League

The 2014–15 Women's EHF Champions League was the 22nd edition of the Women's EHF Champions League, the competition for top women's clubs of Europe, organized and supervised by the European Handball Federation.

Budućnost won the title for the second time by defeating Larvik HK 26–22 in the big final.

## Overview

### Team allocation

League positions of the previous season shown in parentheses (TH: Title holders). 14 teams were directly qualified for the group stage.

Group stage :

| Győri Audi ETO KC (1st) | HCM Baia Mare (1st) | Krim (1st) | Vardar (1st) |
| - | - | - | - |
| Viborg HK (1st) | Thüringer HC (1st) | Hypo Niederösterreich (1st) | SPR Lublin (1st) |
| Larvik HK (1st) | Metz (1st) | Lokomotiva Zagreb (1st) |
| Dinamo Volgograd (1st) | Budućnost (1st) | IK Sävehof (1st) |
| Qualification tournament ||||
| Ferencváros (2nd) | Byåsen HE (2nd) | Radnički Kragujevac (1st) | SERCODAK Dalfsen (1st) |
| Midtjylland (2nd) | HC Leipzig (2nd) | Podravka Koprivnica (2nd) | BNTU Minsk (1st) |

### Round and draw dates

All draws held at the European Handball Federation headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Qualifying | Qualification tournaments | 26 June 2014 | 20–21 September 2014 | 20–21 September 2014 |
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 27 June 2014 | 17–19 October 2014 | 17–19 October 2014 |
| Group stage | Matchday 2 | 27 June 2014 | 24–26 October 2014 | 24–26 October 2014 |
| Group stage | Matchday 3 | 27 June 2014 | 31 October–2 November 2014 | 31 October–2 November 2014 |
| Group stage | Matchday 4 | 27 June 2014 | 7–9 November 2014 | 7–9 November 2014 |
| Group stage | Matchday 5 | 27 June 2014 | 14–16 November 2014 | 14–16 November 2014 |
| Group stage | Matchday 6 | 27 June 2014 | 21–23 November 2014 | 21–23 November 2014 |
| Main round | Matchday 1 | 27 June 2014 | 31 January–2 February 2015 | 31 January–2 February 2015 |
| Main round | Matchday 2 | 27 June 2014 | 6–8 February 2015 | 6–8 February 2015 |
| Main round | Matchday 3 | 27 June 2014 | 13–15 February 2015 | 13–15 February 2015 |
| Main round | Matchday 4 | 27 June 2014 | 27 February–1 March 2015 | 27 February–1 March 2015 |
| Main round | Matchday 5 | 27 June 2014 | 6–8 March 2015 | 6–8 March 2015 |
| Main round | Matchday 6 | 27 June 2014 | 13–15 March 2015 | 13–15 March 2015 |
| Knockout stage | Quarterfinal | 27 June 2014 | 3–5 April 2015 | 10–12 April 2015 |
| Final 4 (Budapest) | Semifinal | 14 April 2015 | 9 May 2015 at László Papp Sports Arena | 9 May 2015 at László Papp Sports Arena |
| Final 4 (Budapest) | Final | 14 April 2015 | 10 May 2015 at László Papp Sports Arena | 10 May 2015 at László Papp Sports Arena |

## Qualification stage

Eight teams took part in the qualification tournaments. They were drawn into two groups of four teams, where they played a semifinal and a final or third place match. The winners of the qualification tournaments, played on 20–21 September 2014, qualified for the group stage. The draw took place on 26 June 2014, at 14:00 local time, in Vienna, Austria.

### Seedings

The seedings were published on 23 June 2014.

| Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| - | - | - | - |
| Ferencváros Midtjylland | Byåsen HE HC Leipzig | Podravka Koprivnica BNTU Minsk | SERCODAK Dalfsen Radnički Kragujevac |

### Qualification tournament 1

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - |
| 20 September | 20 September |
| Ferencváros | 33 |
| Ferencváros | 33 | 21 September | 21 September |
| SERCODAK Dalfsen | 25 | 21 September | 21 September |
| SERCODAK Dalfsen | 25 | Ferencváros | 38 |
| 20 September | 20 September | | Ferencváros | 38 |
| 20 September | 20 September | HC Leipzig (pen.) | 39 |
| HC Leipzig | 22 | HC Leipzig (pen.) | 39 |
| BNTU Minsk | 18 | | |
| BNTU Minsk | 18 | Third place game | Third place game |
| | | 21 September | 21 September |
| | | SERCODAK Dalfsen | 30 |
| | | BNTU Minsk | 27 |

### Qualification tournament 2

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - |
| 20 September | 20 September |
| Midtjylland | 24 |
| Midtjylland | 24 | 21 September | 21 September |
| Rad. Kragujevac (aet) | 29 | 21 September | 21 September |
| Rad. Kragujevac (aet) | 29 | Rad. Kragujevac | 24 |
| 20 September | 20 September | | Rad. Kragujevac | 24 |
| 20 September | 20 September | Pod.Koprivnica | 28 |
| Byåsen HE | 23 | Pod.Koprivnica | 28 |
| Pod. Koprivnica | 31 | | |
| Pod. Koprivnica | 31 | Third place game | Third place game |
| | | 21 September | 21 September |
| | | Midtjylland | 28 |
| | | Byåsen HE | 24 |

## Group stage

The 16 teams were drawn into four groups of four teams, where they played each other twice. The top three teams advanced to the main round. The draw took place on 27 June 2014, at 18:00 local time, in Vienna, Austria.

### Seedings

The seedings were published on 23 June 2014.

| Pot 1 | Pot 2 |
| - | - |
| Győri Audi ETO KC Budućnost Larvik HK Krim | Viborg HK HCM Baia Mare Thüringer HC Dinamo Volgograd |
| Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
| ŽRK Vardar Metz Handball Hypo Niederösterreich RK Lokomotiva Zagreb | IK Sävehof SPR Lublin SSA HC Leipzig RK Koprivnica |

* Key to colours in group tables
* Top three placed teams advanced to the main round
* Fourth-placed teams entered the Cup Winners' Cup last 16

### Group A

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | DIN | LEI | KRI | HYP |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Dinamo Volgograd | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 160 | 143 | +17 | 9 | — | 27–19 | 25–26 | 27–22 |
| HC Leipzig | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 177 | 152 | +25 | 8 | 27–30 | — | 30–24 | 42–22 |
| Krim | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 162 | 165 | −3 | 4 | 24–26 | 31–35 | — | 32–20 |
| Hypo Niederösterreich | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 136 | 175 | −39 | 3 | 25–25 | 18–24 | 29–25 | — |

### Group B

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | BUD | VAR | THÜ | POD |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Budućnost | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 161 | 130 | +31 | 11 | — | 23–17 | 23–14 | 32–26 |
| Vardar | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 149 | 140 | +9 | 7 | 24–24 | — | 26–21 | 35–25 |
| Thüringer HC | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 143 | 144 | −1 | 6 | 22–27 | 21–20 | — | 33–20 |
| Podravka Koprivnica | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 152 | 191 | −39 | 0 | 27–32 | 26–27 | 28–32 | — |

### Group C

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | GYŐ | VIB | SÄV | LOK |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Győri Audi ETO KC | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 183 | 127 | +56 | 12 | — | 22–20 | 35–23 | 32–23 |
| Viborg HK | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 162 | 144 | +18 | 7 | 25–30 | — | 38–25 | 29–24 |
| IK Sävehof | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 146 | 188 | −42 | 3 | 21–38 | 25–25 | — | 29–29 |
| Lokomotiva Zagreb | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 132 | 164 | −32 | 2 | 15–26 | 18–25 | 23–23 | — |

### Group D

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | LAR | MET | BAI | LUB |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Larvik HK | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 169 | 141 | +28 | 12 | — | 25–20 | 31–26 | 35–24 |
| Metz | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 164 | 163 | +1 | 5 | 25–26 | — | 34–24 | 30–30 |
| HCM Baia Mare | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 154 | 160 | −6 | 4 | 23–24 | 23–24 | — | 30–25 |
| SPR Lublin | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 159 | 182 | −23 | 3 | 23–28 | 35–31 | 22–28 | — |

## Main round

The top three teams of each group from the group stage advanced to the main round. The 12 teams were split into two groups of six teams. The top four placed teams advanced to the knockout stage. The points gained in the group stage against teams that advance, were carried over.

* Key to colours in group tables
* Top four placed teams advanced to quarterfinals

### Group 1

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | BUD | DIN | VAR | THÜ | LEI | KRI |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Budućnost | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 270 | 193 | +77 | 19 | — | 26–18 | 23–17 | 23–14 | 28–21 | 39–20 |
| Dinamo Volgograd | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 267 | 260 | +7 | 11 | 18–25 | — | 33–25 | 30–30 | 27–19 | 25–26 |
| Vardar | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 277 | 254 | +23 | 11 | 24–24 | 28–27 | — | 26–21 | 26–20 | 41–30 |
| Thüringer HC | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 258 | 251 | +7 | 11 | 22–27 | 30–33 | 21–20 | — | 27–23 | 33–21 |
| HC Leipzig | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 245 | 282 | −37 | 6 | 19–32 | 27–30 | 26–23 | 25–34 | — | 30–24 |
| Krim | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 248 | 325 | −77 | 2 | 20–23 | 24–26 | 29–47 | 23–26 | 31–35 | — |

### Group 2

| Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | LAR | GYŐ | BAI | VIB | MET | SÄV |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Larvik HK | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 263 | 216 | +47 | 20 | — | 21–19 | 31–26 | 31–18 | 25–20 | 25–17 |
| Győri Audi ETO KC | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 282 | 224 | +58 | 16 | 25–26 | — | 29–23 | 22–20 | 31–27 | 35–23 |
| HCM Baia Mare | 10 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 262 | 270 | −8 | 8 | 23–24 | 18–26 | — | 32–22 | 23–24 | 34–24 |
| Viborg HK | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 252 | 274 | −22 | 7 | 23–29 | 25–30 | 30–31 | — | 27–26 | 38–25 |
| Metz | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 244 | 253 | −9 | 6 | 25–26 | 20–27 | 34–24 | 23–24 | — | 22–25 |
| IK Sävehof | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 227 | 293 | −66 | 3 | 20–25 | 21–38 | 26–28 | 25–25 | 21–23 | — |

## Knockout stage

The top four placed teams of each group advance to the knockout stage. In the quarterfinals, the teams will play a home-and away series to determine the four participants of the final four, which then determines the winner.

### Quarterfinals

The matches were played on 4–5 April and 11–12 April 2015.

| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Viborg HK | 41–57 | Budućnost | 22–28 | 19–29 |
| Thüringer HC | 44–65 | Larvik HK | 26–29 | 18–36 |
| HCM Baia Mare | 50–53 | Dinamo Volgograd | 25–23 | 25–30 |
| Vardar | 51–45 | Győri Audi ETO KC | 24–18 | 27–27 |

### Final four

The draw was held on 14 April 2015.

The final four was played in the László Papp Sports Arena, Budapest, Hungary.

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final |
| - | - | - | - |
| 9 May | 9 May |
| Larvik HK | 31 |
| Larvik HK | 31 | 10 May | 10 May |
| Dinamo Volgograd | 22 | 10 May | 10 May |
| Dinamo Volgograd | 22 | Larvik HK | 22 |
| 9 May | 9 May | | Larvik HK | 22 |
| 9 May | 9 May | Budućnost | 26 |
| Vardar | 17 | Budućnost | 26 |
| Budućnost | 27 | | |
| Budućnost | 27 | Third place game | Third place game |
| | | 10 May | 10 May |
| | | Dinamo Volgograd | 26 |
| | | Vardar | 28 |

## Statistics and awards

### Top goalscorers

Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round.

    As of 10 May 2015

| Rank | Player | Team | Goals |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Cristina Neagu | Budućnost | 102 |
| 1 | Andrea Penezić | Vardar | 102 |
| 3 | Nora Mørk | Larvik | 98 |
| 4 | Anna Kochetova | Volgograd | 94 |
| 5 | Karolina Kudłacz | Leipzig | 84 |
| 6 | Olga Akopyan | Volgograd | 82 |
| 7 | Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth Koren | Larvik | 77 |
| 8 | Daria Dmitrieva | Volgograd | 76 |
| 9 | Ida Oden | Sävehof | 74 |
| 10 | Ana Gros | Metz | 73 |
| 10 | Tamara Mavsar | Krim | 73 |

### All-Star Team

The all-star team and awards were announced on 8 May 2015.

* Goalkeeper: Sandra Toft (DEN)
* Right wing: Linn-Kristin Riegelhuth Koren (NOR)
* Right back: Nora Mørk (NOR)
* Central back: Anikó Kovacsics (HUN)
* Left back: Cristina Neagu (ROU)
* Left wing: Siraba Dembélé (FRA)
* Pivot: Heidi Løke (NOR)

### Other awards

* Most Valuable Player of the Final Four: Clara Woltering (GER)
* Best Coach: Ambros Martín (ESP)
* Best Young Player: Eliza Buceschi (ROU)
* Best Defence Player: Dorina Korsós (HUN)
