Bennet Wiegert clasped his hands over his head. After an anxious look at the field, he sank into his coach’s chair on the edge of the field and looked into nothing. In Cologne’s Lanxess Arena, Gisli Kristjannsson was lying on the ground, surrounded by a bunch of players and paramedics, everyone knew something bad had happened. The Icelander recovered just in time for the Champions League final, which seemed like a medical miracle anyway. At the beginning of May he broke his ankle in the quarter-finals of the premier class with the Polish representative Plock. Now he stormed into the opposing defenses in the semifinals against the great FC Barcelona – as if nothing had happened. There, however, he was received by French Olympic champion Ludovic Fabregas and Brazilian international Thiagus Petrus, two closet-sized defensive specialists. Fabregas was able to overrun Kristjansson with his first lightning-fast step, then he slammed into Petrus, who rushed to help. It wasn’t a bad foul, one that’s part of the game at this level, but one with nasty consequences. The Icelander had to leave the field with a shoulder injury, the exact diagnosis is still pending, but he will be out for a long time.
Kristjansson fell to the ground with a pained face.
(Photo: IMAGO/Franziska Gora/Jan Huebner/IMAGO/Jan Huebner)
In the final, Kielce is waiting with the strong German goalkeeper Andreas Wolff
So also in the final on Sunday, because the Magdeburg team managed what they didn’t think was possible and threw the big favorite from Spain out of the race with 40:39 after extra time and a seven-meter throw. The Polish series champion Kielce awaits in the final, who defeated the French series champion Paris St. Germain 25:24 thanks to a strong German national goalkeeper Andreas Wolff.
Bennet Wiegert once again has to do without one of his best players, it was another déjà vu experience of the worst kind for the SCM trainer. First, Magdeburg’s top scorer, who was also voted best player last season, Omar Ingi Magnusson, returned from the World Cup in Poland and Sweden with a heel injury – season ended in February. Shortly thereafter, the Danish world champion circle runner Magnus Saugstrup was injured – his return is questionable. Then Philipp Weber was injured, then Kristjansson and finally in the Fourth of the Cup Final the Swedish line runner Oscar Bergendahl. All in all, that cost them the championship – defending champion Magdeburg finished two points behind the new title holder THW Kiel – and the cup. Since the SCM drew the short straw against the Rhein-Neckar-Löwen, after extra time and a seven-meter throw.
Second row players like Smits and Damgaard were there when needed
But this time, in the premier class, the nerves held – despite all the setbacks. For a long time it seemed in a high-class and intense game that the big favorite was a bit more mellow, the Catalans have fought countless of these battles. But Magdeburg countered: “We realized in the first half that we weren’t worse, so we missed the chance to end it earlier,” analyzed Wiegert. In fact, after the 16:18 break, the SCM mostly advanced in the second half, but missed the preliminary decision. And was lucky that Kay Smits, once again top scorer with 12 goals, equalized 31:31 after regular time. And Michael Damgaard dived and intercepted a shot on goal at the last second for his goalkeeper, who was on the bench with an extra field player and couldn’t rush back in time.
It’s players like Smits and Damgaard who wear the SCM in the final stages of the season, actually second-tier players who were suddenly challenged and delivered at world-class level. In the extra time Magdeburg looked like the winners, this time Barcelona’s best shooter Timothey N’Guessan (nine goals) equalized to 38:38. Finally, Magdeburg goalkeepers Mike Jensen and Nikola Portner, who took turns, could only be defeated once in the penalty throw. Smits and Tim Hornke scored for the SCM.
At FC Barcelona, the austerity course is taking hold
For the Catalans, on the other hand, this defeat could mark the end of an era. Barca were the clear favourites, have dominated national operations for more than a decade, wanted to win their twelfth premier class title and triumph in Cologne for the third time in a row – all records, of course. In the coming years, on the other hand, the austerity measures that have been in place for some time will have a noticeable impact on handball players. The club not only has exorbitantly expensive footballers, the Catalans traditionally attach great importance to a wide variety of divisions. Above all, however, in basketball and handball, the club affords selections alongside footballers who are among the top in Europe.
Up until the 1990s, the handball department still attached great importance to Spanish talent – ideally homegrown talent from Catalonia – thanks to generous financing, the club developed into the measure of all things in club handball. FC Barcelona pays all divisions from one pot, so in view of the heavily deficit footballers, a minus of almost seven million euros for the handball players was not particularly important – so far.
However, heavy losses have been announced for the coming season, and the debate in the club and its environment as to whether the expensive sub-divisions should not be evaporated completely is becoming more acute.
Of course it won’t go that far, but the austerity measures are already bringing about the first serious changes in the squad: French Olympic champion Fabregas is moving to Veszprem, his financially strong Hungarian Champions League competitor. Croatian playmaker Luka Cindric is also likely to leave. Such key players are not replaced by internationally experienced players, as is usual, but by Spanish talents. So Barca are finding their way back to their original path for the first time in years. The overwhelming dominance in the national game will probably continue, but in the premier class that will change in view of the competition from Germany, Poland, Hungary and Denmark.
On Sunday, all Barca stars will be able to be admired again in the sold-out Lanxess Arena in the Champions League – in the match for third place.