Handball players defeat Wisla Plock
Magdeburg stormed into the Final Four of the Champions League
05/17/2023, 8:20 p.m
21 years after the last triumph so far, SC Magdeburg is aiming for the title in the Champions League again. In the second leg of the quarter-finals, the German handball champion defeated the Polish runner-up Wisla Plock after a dramatic final phase and entered the final tournament in Cologne.
The German handball champion SC Magdeburg stormed into the semi-finals of the Champions League thanks to an energetic performance. Coach Bennet Wiegert’s team beat Wisla Plock 30:28 (13:13) in the second leg of the quarter-finals and thus booked a ticket for the Final Four in Cologne (June 17/18). In the first leg, the teams separated 22:22, but the SCM lost three players with injuries. When the SCM last won the Champions League in 2002, the final was played with a return match.
“It’s huge. We’re incredibly happy and proud that we’re going there. That was the goal of the whole team – all year,” said the outstanding Kay Smits, who was Magdeburg’s best thrower with 14 goals.
Surprisingly, for the first time since his knee injury in February, circle player Magnus Saugstrup was in the Elbestadt squad and got a lot of playing time in defense and attack in the first half. As in the first leg, the SCM struggled on the offensive.
Jensen parries crucial balls
The hosts failed a number of times to goalkeeper Marcel Jastrzebski (4:3/8th minute), but still had a narrow lead. Without the injured Gisli Kristjansson, the SCM shot more often from a greater distance, which reduced the hit rate. Magdeburg missed several chances to pull away by two goals and went into the break with a draw.
Even after the break, both teams stayed evenly matched. Magdeburg could not increase the gap, also because the guests had clear advantages in goalkeeping. But although Magdeburg kept making mistakes, Plock couldn’t turn the game around and was two goals down for the first time after 45 minutes (22:20).
However, the SCM did not break away and conceded the equalizer again (26:26/54.). Only in the final minutes did Wiegert’s team pull away decisively. Goalkeeper Mike Jensen made several strong saves.
In addition to the SCM, which is in the top four in the Champions League for the first time since the 2003/2004 season, the German record champions THW Kiel are fighting for a place in the semi-finals. However, Filip Jicha’s team is facing a major hurdle: At Paris St. Germain, THW has to make up a deficit of four goals from the first leg in the evening (8.45 p.m. / DAZN).