(by Steve Hopkins)

The final 8 teams have all played the first of their 2-match series in this years European Champions League.  Three Polish teams made it to the Final 8 – KS Global Pharma Orlicz 1924, KS Dekorglass Dzialdowo, and KS Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki.  A pair of German teams (FC Saarbrucken and Borussia Dusseldorf), a pair of French teams (GV Hennebont and Alliance Nimes Montpellier), and the Austrian squad of Solex-Consult Wiener Neustadt round out the top eight teams in Europe.

All four of the opening matches were 3-0 decisions for the home team.  Saarbrucken’s loaded squad of Patrick Franziska, Darko Jorgic and Truls Moregard defeated Hennebont (anchored by Russian players Sidorenko and Katsman) 3-0.  In the all-Polish match between Dzialdowo and Orlicz, it was the Dzialdowo squad with Sam Kulczycki, Jnoathan Groth, and Jakub Dyjas that logged the 3-0 win.  Perhaps the victor with the least known players, the KS Dartom Borgoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki team of of Panagiotis Gionis, Milosz Redzimski, and Marek Badowski won 3-0.

While some of these one-sided results may prove to be dominant wins in the second match as well, the fourth match is worth highlighting here as there are so many well known players on the two squads.  Alliance Nimes Montpellier is the home club of the Lebrun brothers and they faced off against Borussia Dusseldorf with Anton Kallberg, Dang Qiu, and Timo Boll.  In this match, Kallberg defeated Felix Lebrun in a tight 3-2 match.  Dang Qiu then handled Alexis Lebrun 3-1.  And in the deciding match, it was Timo Boll that came from behind to defeat Esteban Dorr.  This match was closer than the score, and as they shift back to France for the next round, fans can expect an exciting battle.

The next round of the Quarterfinals will be played in two weeks with matches in France, Poland, and Austria starting on February 14 and ending on the 19th.

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