Because of Mission Impossible
THW Kiel invokes the Champions League “miracle”
May 1, 2024, 3:53 p.m
The quarter-final first leg of the Champions League at Montpellier HB ends in a debacle for THW Kiel. The burden for the second leg is heavy. Nine goals have to be made up. But no one thinks about giving up when it comes to the handball “Zebras”.
The impending knockout of the premier class? No issue. The heavy 30:39 defeat at Montpellier HB in the first leg? Ticked off. Filip Jicha firmly believes in the remaining mini-chance of the Final Four in Cologne (June 8th/9th) and is racing to catch up with THW Kiel. “There are these miracles in handball,” said Kiel’s coach before the quarter-final second leg in the Champions League. They don’t want to hear anything about Mission Impossible with the German record champions.
In order to avert the first titleless season since 2018, the Zebras are fully relying on their home advantage on Thursday (6.45 p.m./Dyn and DAZN). “Nine goals behind is a board. We really need a handball miracle to make it,” said THW captain Patrick Wiencek: “But I am convinced that we can do it with our fans!”
Yes, there are miracles in handball. At this point we should remember the fantastic comeback by Füchse Berlin. Thanks to a crazy rally almost exactly twelve years ago, something like the mother of all miracles in the German handball cosmos, the capital club even made up an eleven-goal deficit against Ademar Leon. Back then, too, it was about the Final Four, and after a disastrous first leg, hardly anyone seriously expected a comeback.
In the 2016 final, Kielce also proved what is possible in handball. They were behind by nine goals against Veszprem with a quarter of an hour to go in the premier class final – and still won in the end. Just last week, Barcelona won the second half at Paris St. Germain with eleven goals. “I believe in the miracle,” said Jicha in an interview with “Sport Bild” and announced an all-or-nothing performance: “We are capable of beating any team in the world by ten goals and have There’s nothing left to lose with the first leg mortgage.”
Each individual must “be courageous and believe in the miracle. Only then can it come true.” Out of 100 games, the Czech calculated, “it might work five times. Thursday should be one of those five times.”