Handball Bundesliga
Third bankruptcy: THW Kiel loses the top game in Magdeburg
Omar Ingi Magnusson (2nd from left) won the top game against Kiel with Magdeburg. photo
© Eroll Popova/dpa
THW Kiel lost contact with the top in the handball Bundesliga title race early in the season. In Magdeburg it was the third league defeat in a row.
With their third defeat of the season, champion THW Kiel has put another setback in the title fight Handball Bundesliga received. The defending champion lost the top game at the Champions League winner SC Magdeburg 31:34 (15:17) and thus lost contact with the top of the table early on.
While the SCM is still in third place with 11:3 points behind the still unbeaten top duo MT Melsungen (14:0) and Füchse Berlin (12:0), the THW is currently only in the middle of the table with 6:6 points. The best thrower for the winner was right winger Tim Hornke with eight goals. Backcourt player Harald Reinkind (7) was the most successful shooter for Kiel.
After three wins in a row in the Champions League, the Kiel team started the game confidently in front of 6,600 spectators in the sold-out Magdeburg Arena and were two goals ahead in the early stages. In the middle of the first half, the home team got into the game better and took a four-goal lead for the first time at 11:7 (19th minute).
Kiel makes the connection
The THW couldn’t be shaken off and managed to catch up again shortly after the change. However, the SCM, where goalkeeper Nikola Portner put in a strong performance, always had an answer ready in this phase. Just under a quarter of an hour before the end, the Kiel team managed to equalize to 23:23 – it was the first tie since the 5:5 after ten minutes.
Magdeburg’s coach Bennet Wiegert reacted with a timeout in which he gave his team clear instructions to prepare them for the final phase. And the hosts actually pulled ahead again and within five minutes they were four goals ahead. The SCM safely maintained this lead over time.