Record start expanded mercilessly
Foxes Berlin simply eat lions
October 12, 2023, 8:57 p.m
The Füchse Berlin remain the measure of all things in the handball Bundesliga: In the ninth game of the season they achieved their ninth victory – and it is impressive: against cup winners Rhein-Neckar Löwen it becomes clear.
The Füchse Berlin have kept their clean slate in the handball Bundesliga. The Berliners won against the Rhein-Neckar Löwen with 38:32 (17:14) in front of 7,143 spectators in the Max-Schmeling-Halle. After the ninth win in the ninth game, the capital city remains leaders. The best Berlin thrower was the outstanding Mathias Gidsel with eleven goals. For the Lions it was Juri Knorr with eight goals.
The game initially started very evenly. The Foxes made a few technical errors and were initially narrowly behind. After almost five minutes they were 3:5 behind. And after around ten minutes, runner Max Darj hobbled out of the hall with a foot injury and didn’t come back. The Berliners now woke up. Five goals in a row from Gidsel gave the hosts the lead for the first time. Now they also scored easy goals through fast counterattacks. They pulled away to 16:11, but the Lions improved their defense and fought back a bit at the break.
Concerns about top performers
But after the break the hosts pulled ahead again and took a 30:22 lead. Now keeper Dejan Milosavljev also shone with some important saves. But the Lions rose again and came back to 31:26 around nine minutes before the end. Berlin’s home win was no longer in danger. “Our attack was outstanding,” said six-time goalscorer Mijajlo Marsenic.
With nine wins in a row, the Füchse extended their own starting record and remain the only team in the league without losing points. “The boys are extremely realistic,” said Füchse coach Jaron Siewert at Dyn about his first thoughts about a possible championship goal for the season. “They enjoy the moment, they can and should.” Ultimately, the flawless championship lead is currently “just a snapshot”.
Worries about Darj, who is difficult for the Berliners to replace, especially in defense, dampened the mood a little. Compensating for the loss of another top performer will be “extremely difficult,” said Siewert, who will miss German national players Fabian Wiede and Paul Drux for a longer period of time after serious injuries. “We’ll see what the investigations reveal.”