Handball
Füchse and Flensburg reach the final of the European League
Mathias Gidsel (r) and the Füchse are once again in the final of the European League. Photo
© Noah Wedel/dpa
In a German semi-final, the handball players from the capital beat the Rhein-Neckar Löwen. In the final on Sunday, the next Bundesliga rival, SG Flensburg-Handewitt, awaits.
Defending champion Füchse Berlin is once again in the final of the Handball European League. In a German semi-final duel, the Berliners won 33:24 (14:9) against Bundesliga rivals Rhein-Neckar Löwen.
In the final on Sunday in Hamburg, the capital city team will face SG Flensburg-Handewitt, who had previously defeated the Romanian champions Dinamo Bucharest 38:32 (18:11). Mathias Gidsel and Lasse Andersson were the best scorers, scoring seven goals each for the Füchse. Juri Knorr was also successful seven times for the Löwen.
Mannheim got off to a better start. National player Jannik Kohlbacher scored the 4:2 in the eighth minute. But then Berlin goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev improved. Supported by the Serbian’s saves and the coolness of the Dane Hans Lindberg, who beat the 2.00 meter tall Löwen goalkeeper David Späth with a lob on a seven-meter shot, the Füchse pulled ahead to 14:8 (26th).
The second half also reflected the balance of power in the Bundesliga. The second-placed team from the capital had the eleventh-placed team from Baden under control at all times. The Lions did not get any closer than four goals. With two goals in a row into the empty goal of the Mannheim team, who had taken the goalkeeper off the field due to a time penalty, the Füchse made the early decision to make it 22:15 (42nd minute).
Emotional comeback for Flensburg’s Smits
Left-handed back Kay Smits had previously celebrated an emotional comeback in Flensburg’s victory. “It was like the first day of school after a long summer break,” said the 27-year-old Dutchman, who had to take a break for almost half a year due to myocarditis. There was great jubilation in the Flensburg fan camp when Smits scored the goal to make it 7:4 in the ninth minute. The best scorers of the game were Emil Jakobsen with eleven goals for Flensburg and Andrii Akimenko with seven goals for Bucharest.