What about Wiegert’s beard?
Magdeburg is rehabilitating itself in the Champions League
February 21, 2024, 8:52 p.m
SC Magdeburg is getting back on the road to success in a flash: the Champions League winners recently lost for the first time in forever, and now the handball Bundesliga team is demolishing Celje Pivovarna Laško in the Champions League.
Last weekend, SC Magdeburg lost a competitive game for the first time since September 2023: In the handball Bundesliga, the Champions League winner received the final blow in the neck at TSV Hannover-Burgdorf in the last second – 27:28. The game has consequences: the league lead is gone and Bennet Wiegert has to do something with his beard. The successful coach didn’t want to trim it anymore until the next defeat, he announced last summer. An eternal streak of 30 games without defeat followed.
“I didn’t think about it because it was anything but planned and taken into account. We’ll see,” said a visibly dejected Wiegert after the end of his huge series. “Why should I be happy about it? I enjoyed winning for so long.” Now his team had to play in game one of the Champions League against Celje Pivovarna Laško in Slovenia. And Wiegert’s beard was still there. However, the XXL facial jewelry, which had long since become shaggy, was clearly trimmed. A compromise.
His team, on the other hand, was uncompromising: the defending champions dismantled the hosts 37:27 (18:12) and thus consolidated second place in their group behind FC Barcelona. That would lead directly to the quarter-finals.
Wiegert’s team took a six-goal lead at halftime and remained focused when the hosts fought their way to within two goals at 22:24. In the end, the eight goals each from the two top scorers Lukas Mertens and Omar Ingi Magnusson secured the important tenth success in the current Champions League season.