SC Magdeburg reaches for Europe’s handball crown after a huge surprise. In a gripping semi-final in Cologne, the German runner-up defeated the defending champion and record winner FC Barcelona 40:39 (38:38, 31:31, 16:18) after throwing seven meters and can dream of the second premier class triumph after 2002. In the final seven-meter throw, Barcelona converted only one of five throws – Magdeburg scored twice.
Kay Smits (12 goals) and Michael Damgaard (8) were the best shooters for Magdeburg. Coach Bennet Wiegert’s team played to the full cheers of the 19,250 spectators in the sold-out Lanxess Arena and ended a memorable series: Barca left the field as losers for the first time in 25 CL games.
The Final Four debutant will fight in the final on Sunday (6 p.m. / DAZN) either against Barlinek Industria Kielce with national goalkeeper Andreas Wolff or Paris Saint-Germain for Europe’s crown. The two teams meet in the second semi-final on Saturday evening (6 p.m. / DAZN).
Magdeburg had already celebrated the first participation in the final tournament in the cathedral city as a great success. 21 years after the historic first Champions League victory of a German team through the SCM, the “heirs” of the then coach and current national coach Alfred Gislason are looking forward to another surprise.
Gisli Thorgeir Kristjansson celebrates a goal – the Icelander later had to leave the field injured.
(Photo: IMAGO/Franziska Gora/Jan Huebner/IMAGO/Jan Huebner)
For this, as Wiegert confirmed in advance, a “best performance” with few mistakes is required. However, Kay Smits threw one in right at the beginning when he missed a seven-meter penalty when the score was 0-0. Barcelona immediately struck on the other side and demonstrated what a Herculean task the SCM coverage would be. Before the eyes of Gislason, the Magdeburgers gained increasing self-confidence through small successes.
It was only when Wiegert’s team were outnumbered that Barca pulled away with two goals for the first time. However, the 13:11 (19 th ) did not shock Magdeburg. Again and again the German champion of 2022 released Michael Damgaard in the backcourt, who scored six times in the first section alone. However, at the other end, Mike Jensen and his substitute goalkeeper Nikola Portner rarely got a hand on the ball.
Barca, who were recently defeated by Magdeburg twice in the Club World Cup, scored the supposedly easier goals. But Magdeburg fought. The outsiders turned the Catalans’ first three-goal lead shortly before half-time into a lead just eleven minutes after Gisli Kristjansson made the change (23:22, 41st). It wasn’t just the 1500 SCM fans who had traveled with them who raged. Wiegert, who was a player in the 2002 triumph, was following a much more hectic game on the sidelines.
The strong Kristjansson was now an important support – but of all people, the MVP of the past Bundesliga season had to leave the field prematurely with a shoulder injury in the final phase. Smits put the SCM into overtime just seconds before the end of regulation time. It also ended in a draw, so the decision was made on the spot.