MOTW SUMMARY: Aalborg make statement with victory over Nantes

EHF / Courtney Gahan

11 September 2024, 17:55

The Machineseeker EHF Champions League is back! And the season began with a bang as the runners-up from 2023/24, Aalborg Håndbold, played HBC Nantes in the first Match of the Week of 2024/25, taking an impressive victory. Aalborg back Thomas Arnoldsen was named Player of the Match after scoring 11 goals from 11 shots.

09112024 Aalborg HBC Nantes 12 — Henrik Hansen

09112024 Aalborg HBC Nantes 7 — Henrik Hansen

09112024 Aalborg HBC Nantes Fleurance — Henrik Hansen

110924Aalborg Nantes Martins 10 — Henrik Hansen

110924Aalborg Nantes Avelange 3 — Henrik Hansen

110924Aalborg Nantes Gaber 12 — Henrik Hansen

09112024 Aalborg HBC Nantes 06 — Henrik Hansen

They played really much better than us today. It was a tough game against a good opponent. We didn't find the way to defend against them.

Baptiste Bonnefond

Left back, HBC Nantes

It was an amazing atmosphere. We knew it was going to be a tough game; a fast-paced game. We knew if we just keep the momentum, keep attacking in fast breaks, they would get tired, and we proved that to be the scenario.

It's the toughest group I've ever seen and we played a couple of seasons now here in the Champions League, so we knew we had to get off to a good start, get a good feeling at home, and try to keep this momentum. We know it's not going to be easy. The fight for the top two positions in this group is going to be so hard. So hard. We're just going to try our best and see how high up the table we are going to finish. We have some unfinished business in the Champions League, so we are looking forward to a long, good season.

Sebastian Barthold

Left wing, Aalborg Håndbold

18:35

While Aalborg enter the season as one of the teams to beat following their superb 2024/25 campaign, Nantes are returning to the top flight after contesting the EHF European League last season. There, the French team were knocked out in the quarter-final stage by Füchse Berlin, who are also back in the Champions League this season.

Like Aalborg, Nantes have reached the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 twice — the second time for Nantes was Aalborg's debut in Cologne, in 2020/21, but the teams did not meet each other on court there. However, the sides have played each other four times in the top flight, with Nantes winning on three occasions and Aalborg taking the first victory.

Both teams welcomed a big new arrival ahead of this season, with Nicolas Tournat returning to Nantes after a stint at Kielce and Portuguese back Miguel Martins joining Aalborg from Szeged.

18:24

Let's dive in to the MOTW, starting with a closer look at Aalborg through the lens of a feature article and the Dare to Rise: Last Shot documentary feature. One focuses on Aalborg's future; the other on the Danish side's past.

Dare to Rise: Last Shot chronicles the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2024, where Aalborg sensationally returned to the final for the second time and were defeated by one goal after a nail-biting ending. Featured in the documentary is Mikkel Hansen, who retired after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and for whom last season's final weekend in Cologne represented his last matches on a club level — and a last chance to take the Champions League trophy. The Danish legend left a huge legacy but never got to celebrate this particular title.

So, Hansen has bid farewell and Aalborg now look ahead to a season where they hope to repeat their success — and go one better of course — without the titan of the back court. Lucky for them, they have the next big thing from Denmark rising in their midst: centre back Thomas Arnoldsen.

Arnoldsen had a blinding TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 2024, standing out as one of the keys for Aalborg despite being only 21 at the time. A couple of months later, he was part of the Denmark team at the Paris 2024 Games and took the gold medal — alongside Hansen and a number of his other Aalborg teammates.

Below, check out our feature on one of the most notable players to keep an eye on right now.