After the debacle of THW Kiel at Füchsen Berlin, Filip Jicha quickly disappeared into the dressing room with a stunned expression. The THW trainer did not want to see the exuberant jubilation of the capital club about the unexpectedly clear 34:26 (16:10) victory in the top game of the Handball Bundesliga.
"It was bitter. Unfortunately, I have to admit that it was a deserved defeat. Berlin had a lot more energy and intensity," said Jicha. "That was a lesson for my team."
Kiels Szilagyi: "We have to shake ourselves now"
While the Berliners, second in the table with 13:1 points, remain unbeaten like table leaders Rhein-Neckar Löwen (14:0), the record champions from Kiel (12:2) suffered their first sensitive setback in the title fight on Sunday. "We have to shake ourselves now", confessed THW managing director Viktor Szilagyi.
"A game like this includes emotions. If we don't show them, we can't win top games," THW circle runner Patrick Wiencek criticized on the Sky microphone for the weak performance of the title favorite and demanded: "Everyone has to work on themselves and correct the mistakes ."
The mood among the Berliners, who were celebrated by the 9,000 fans in the Max-Schmeling-Halle, was completely different. Even before the final whistle, the oldie "Oh, how nice is that" echoed from the stands. "It's a nice snapshot for us. We're enjoying it, but the season is still long," said Füchse coach Jaron Siewert after his team's handball gala.
The again convincing newcomer Mathias Gidsel was enthusiastic. "That was a strong performance in front of a great crowd. It was very important for us to show that we can fight for the championship this year," said the backcourt player.
The club from the capital got off to a flying start in the matriculation examination announced by managing director Bob Hanning. After 13 minutes, the Berliners were already five goals ahead at 7:2 and from then on maintained the comfortable cushion.
Wiencek: "Berlin was better in every respect"
The defense was compact and hardly allowed Kiel to attack. And if they did, Foxes goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev was a strong support. Up front, Mijajlo Marsenic (9 goals) and Gidsel (6) provided offensive power. "Despite his young age, he is an incredibly complete player," national coach Alfred Gislason praised the 23-year-old Dane during the half-time break.
After the change, the Berlin lead grew to 21:13 for the first time to eight goals. Shortly thereafter, THW trainer Jicha tried to change the goalkeeper. Tomas Mrkva came for Denmark's world champion Niklas Landin, who parried only five throws. But that didn't bring the hoped-for stability on the defensive.
The foxes showed no weakness and brought the victory safely home. "Berlin was better in every respect and deserved to win," summed up Wiencek. In the fight for the championship, the ex-national player will continue to have his rivals in mind in the future: "They have strengthened and are doing pretty well at the moment."
