Farewell and Champions League
SC Magdeburg loses title, but still celebrates emotionally
6/9/2023 7:46 am
Record champion THW Kiel reclaims the title, but pursuer SC Magdeburg celebrates anyway. Because after a tight title race, the Champions League place is safe. And a farewell party is also a party.
Defending champion SC Magdeburg secured at least second place in its championship season. The favorite celebrated a mandatory victory on the 33rd and penultimate day of the Bundesliga with the 31:27 (20:13) against TVB Stuttgart and can no longer be caught by Füchsen Berlin. Kay Smits (6/2) and Tim Hornke (5) were the winner’s best throwers in front of 6,600 spectators.
The emotional highlight of the game came just before the end, when the game was already decided: a few seconds before the end of the game, coach Bennet Wiegert took a final break so that the audience could say goodbye to club legend Marko Bezjak. The Slovenian played for SC Magdeburg for ten years, and in his last action the 26-year-old was able to score the final result with the friendly support of the Stuttgart defence. The hall was upside down and Bezjak, whose jersey was then pulled under the hall roof in a ceremony, had tears in his eyes.
Winning the title again is out of reach for Germany’s first Champions League winner, despite the win. Going into the 34th round on Sunday, Magdeburg is two points behind record champions THW Kiel and also has a goal difference that is 37 goals worse. Kiel had already outclassed basement child HSG Wetzlar at 38:23 on Wednesday and thus wiped away even the slightest doubt about winning the title. It was also the last home game of the season for the North Germans.
“A very emotional day”
And they also said goodbye to well-deserved players in Kiel – above all world goalkeeper Niklas Landin: “It was a very emotional day. I can hardly believe that I will never play here again – at home,” said the visibly moved Dane, who will be in Germany in the future his Hamburg will play for Aalborg, to the applause of the spectators: “It was always a great honor to play here.” With Sander Sagosen, a second superstar from Kiel is also changing. In the future, the Norwegian will play for the future European top club Kolstad, which has a lot of money and the highest ambitions. Miha Zarabec and Yannick Fraatz were also said goodbye. The SCM plays at the end at HSG Wetzlar, Kiel has to play at Frisch Auf Göppingen.
Behind Berlin, the SG Flensburg-Handewitt consolidated their fourth place in the table ahead of the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, who come to the north for a direct duel on Sunday. The SG prevailed in front of 6061 spectators at HC Erlangen despite an intermediate low in the middle of the second half with 33:28 (16:12) and is two points ahead of the lions. Lasse Kjaer Möller was the best SG thrower with seven goals.
In the long-distance duel against HSV Hamburg for the sixth and last international ticket, TSV Hannover-Burgdorf achieved an important 32:19 (15:9) win against relegated GWD Minden. Hannover travels to the season finale in Stuttgart with a two-point lead and the same goal difference, Hamburg welcomes MT Melsungen.
In a game that is meaningless for the table, old champions VfL Gummersbach won against Göppingen with 35:32 (16:15). Gummersbach’s Lukas Blohme stood out with nine goals.