Handball
Portner’s representative shines: Magdeburg is in the cup final
Magdeburg’s goalkeeper Sergey Hernandez saved ten shots in the first half alone. photo
© Marius Becker/dpa
Magdeburg’s handball players don’t allow themselves to be disturbed by the fuss surrounding goalkeeper Portner and win the cup clash against Füchse Berlin. Portner’s representative, of all people, towers over him.
Without the suspended Nikola Portner, SC Magdeburg made it to the German final for the third time in a row Handball Cup fought. Thanks to Portner’s representative Sergey Hernandez, the Champions League winner beat Bundesliga leaders Füchse Berlin 30:25 (14:10) in the semi-finals and will face either SG Flensburg-Handewitt or MT Melsungen in the final on Sunday.
The best thrower for the SCM in the Cologne cauldron in front of almost 20,000 fans was Gisli Kristjansson with eight goals. For the Füchse, who still have to wait for their second cup success, Lasse Andersson was the most successful shooter with nine goals. The Magdeburgers could win the DHB Cup for the third time on Sunday and thus take their first step towards a triple.
Portner’s absence was not noticeable at all. The Presidium of the Handball Bundesliga temporarily suspended the goalkeeper after a positive doping test. Sergey Hernandez moved into the starting line-up to replace the 30-year-old regular goalkeeper, who denies knowingly wrongdoing – and the Spaniard shone.
Magdeburg with a 6-0 run in the opening phase
The SCM quickly took a 6-0 lead against incredibly nervous foxes. It was only after almost eleven minutes that world handball player Mathias Gidsel released the capital club, which now fought its way into the party and reduced the score to 4:7, then to 9:10. The fact that the game didn’t turn over completely was due to Hernandez’s continued impressive performance. The 28-year-old saved ten shots in the first half alone.
Berlin acted too sleepily in many phases. Because Magdeburg was no longer as dominant as it was at the beginning, the game was now evenly balanced. Midway through the second half, the SCM lead shrank to one goal at 20:19. In the final phase, the Elbe townspeople stabilized again and extended their lead.