Champion SC Magdeburg averted the second defeat of the season in the last second in the dramatic top game of the Handball Bundesliga and blocked the Rhein-Neckar Löwen's leap to the top of the table.

At 32:32 (18:16) the Dane Magnus Saugstrop scored in front of 6449 spectators, including national coach Alfred Gislason, with the last throw to equalize. With 17:5 points, Mannheim are now second in the table behind Füchsen Berlin (17:3), Magdeburg advanced to fourth place with 15:3 points.

"It's bitter to get an equalizer at the last second. But we played a great game. The lads were outstanding so I'm happy with the point. We can be proud of that. And to be honest, it's a fair result "said lion trainer Sebastian Hinze on the pay TV channel Sky.

Lots of leadership changes

From the start, a battle-focused duel developed at eye level, in which no team was able to break away with more than two goals and the lead kept changing. In the final phase the pendulum seemed to swing in favor of the guests at 32:30 (59 th ), but the hosts struck back again.

The best pitchers for SCM, where left winger Lukas Mertens and right winger Tim Hornke extended their long-term contracts before the game, were Gisli Kristjansson and Kay Smits, each with six goals. Albin Lagergren scored eight goals for the guests.