Defending champion SC Magdeburg has come back impressively with a win at leaders Füchse Berlin in the championship race of the Handball Bundesliga. Coach Bennet Wiegert's team deservedly prevailed in the dramatic duel of the 16th matchday with 32:31 (15:13).
"We were fully into the game after 15 minutes and were the better team. The table looks a lot nicer now. We stayed within striking distance," said SCM trainer Bennet Wiegert on the Sky microphone. With 23:5 points, Magdeburg is just as good as Berlin (27:5), who played two more games, at least after minus points.
In front of 9000 spectators in the Max-Schmeling-Halle, which has been sold out for weeks, both teams met on an equal footing. In the first half the lead changed back and forth without either rival being able to break away by more than two goals. The guests succeeded after the change. At 24:20 (42nd minute) Magdeburg was down four goals.
Foxes trainer Siewert: "Magdeburg was very strong"
The champions, with backcourt star Gisli Kristjansson (10 goals) towering over them, maintained this cushion until the final phase. "It's pure goosebumps. We did it really well," said the Icelander after the final whistle. The hosts managed to catch up again 44 seconds before the end, but it wasn't enough for the turnaround.
"We fought and tried everything, in the end it wasn't enough. Magdeburg was extremely strong," congratulated Foxes trainer Jaron Siewert and admitted: "Of course we would have liked to win. It sucks that we lost. But we have to get your head back up quickly."
For the Berliners, where Lasse Andersson was the best scorer with seven goals, there was only reason to celebrate before kick-off. The long-term extension of Mathias Gidsel's contract until 2028 was announced to the cheers of the fans. "He's someone who has an incredible mentality and can push a team enormously again. He made our team even better," said Berlin's sporting director Stefan Kretzschmar about the 23-year-old Dane, who played against SCM after suffering a hand injury in mid-October made a comeback.
