Top game for handball cup
Kiel is shaking, Magdeburg is marching into the final
April 23, 2022, 6:15 p.m
Record cup winner THW Kiel and leaders SC Magdeburg are in the final of the German Handball Cup. The favorites made their way to the final very differently.
The German Handball Cup has its dream final to say goodbye to Hamburg: In the last final in the Hanseatic city on Sunday (1.25 p.m. / ARD and Sky) record winners THW Kiel and Bundesliga leaders SC Magdeburg meet. In the first semi-final, THW prevailed in front of 12,800 spectators with 28:26 (12:12) against the defending champion TBV Lemgo Lippe. Afterwards, the SCM defeated the final round newcomer HC Erlangen with 30:22 (17:13). Starting next year, the Final 4 will be played in Cologne.
“We are very happy. The trophy cannot be assessed,” said Magdeburg coach Bennet Wiegert after Magdeburg’s sixth final. THW has more experience in cup finals, Wiegert admitted. Its preparation will therefore take a long time. “I might get to bed at one,” he said. His coaching colleague Raul Alonso from HC Erlangen admitted: “We showed a lot of nerve, then it’s extremely difficult.” He attested that the Magdeburg team was in “an absolute flow”.
The Bördestädter are aiming for their third DHB Cup win since reunification (1996, 2016) on Sunday. They had conquered the trophy four times in the GDR. In the semifinals against Erlangen, it was initially as close as the THW game against Lemgo. The Franconians didn’t let the Bundesliga leaders pull away for a long time. But in the closing stages of the first half, the underdog had to pay tribute to the attacking power of the favorites. Among the spectators was national coach Alfred Gislason. As a former coach of both clubs, he said: “As national coach I have to remain neutral. Hopefully the better one wins.”
“Real cup fight”
With their individual class and pace, the Magdeburg team were 14th in the Bundesliga. clearly superior and never in danger of missing the final. In addition, Wiegert’s team probably wanted to save energy for the final and avoided the last risk. The goalkeepers Jannick Green from SCM (11 saves) and Martin Ziemer from HCE (9) showed strong performances.
The Kielers have reached the final for the 15th time. They managed to get revenge for the semi-final defeat against Lipper last year. However, it was an extremely difficult game for the North Germans. Only shortly before the end did the “Zebras” gain a crucial advantage. “It was a real cup fight,” said THW captain Domagoj Duvnjak. “We knew we had to fight for 60 minutes.” The Croatian identified Kiel’s flexible defense and 14 saves by goalkeeper Niklas Landin as the key to victory. “He has shown that he is the best goalkeeper in the world,” Duvnjak praised the Dane. And TBV coach Florian Kehrmann also stated: “Niklas Landin made the difference.”
Meanwhile, THW trainer Filip Jicha regretted the move of the cup finals to Cologne: “I really like being here and I’m very sad that we’re leaving Hamburg,” said the 40-year-old Czech.