Handball Bundesliga
34:35 in Leipzig: THW Kiel suffers another defeat
The Kiel team around Patrick Wiencek (r) had to admit defeat in Leipzig. photo
© Hendrik Schmidt/dpa
The Bundesliga season for the THW Kiel handball players is disappointing. The 34:35 in Leipzig is the fourth defeat in the eighth game for the defending champions and record champions.
“We didn’t manage to gain access in defense in the second half. 35 goals conceded are far too many for our standards,” said the disappointed THW player Nikola Bilyk after the final whistle on the Dyn streaming service.
The Kiel team had a very difficult time against the Saxons from the start. In front of the 5,309 spectators, the record champions’ error rate was extremely high. The hosts kept showing. Former THW player Oskar Sunnefeldt scored in the 23rd minute to make it 12:10 for Leipzig. Despite the eleven saves made by their goalkeeper Tomas Mrkva in the first half, the North Germans went into the break with a narrow deficit.
Bilyk misses the chance to equalize
The Saxons then took command in the second half. From 23:24 (45th minute) it went to 29:26 through Lukas Binder (51st) and the first three-goal lead. THW coach Filip Jicha took his last time out seven minutes before the final whistle.
Kiel had the chance to equalize after a Mrkva save in the last seconds of the game. But Bilyk’s final free throw landed in the hosts’ block, who then danced across the field drunk with joy. The best throwers of the game were Viggo Kristjansson with nine goals for Leipzig and Elias Ellefsen á Skipagötu with eight goals for Kiel.