Handball Champions League
THW Kiel defeated Kolstad at the last second
The Kiel team clinched their seventh victory in the Champions League preliminary round at the last second. photo
© Frank Molter/dpa
After the 26:25 win over Kolstad Handball, THW Kiel goes into the winter break of the Champions League as league leaders. The game ends badly for a former host player.
The handball players of THW Kiel are going into the winter break of the Champions League as leaders of preliminary group A.
The German record champions won their home game against the Norwegian title holder Kolstad Handball with 26:25 (15:12) and thus successfully took revenge for the 30:34 defeat in the first leg. Left winger Rune Dahmke scored the decisive goal shortly before the final whistle.
Both teams started the game nervously and with mistakes. It took almost nine minutes before Petter Överby scored the first goal for the hosts at 1:2. But the guests around former THW player Sander Sagosen were also very careless with their scoring chances in the early stages.
With a more stable defense, the North Germans gained more security for their offensive actions. Right winger Niclas Ekberg gave THW the lead for the first time with two goals at 12:10 (25th).
Ex-Kiel Sagosen sees red card
The guests quickly caught up with Kiel’s three-goal half-time lead. In the 37th minute Kolstad made it 17:17 and in the 39th it was 19:18. However, after an action against THW captain Damogoj Duvnjak, Sagosen was shown a red card in the 55th minute when the score was 23:21 for the Norwegians. The hosts used this advantage to achieve their seventh victory in the preliminary round.
The best thrower for the Kiel team, who now have 15:5 points, was Niclas Ekberg with eight hits. The next matchday of the premier class will be played in February 2024 after the European Championships in Germany.