Champions League winner SC Magdeburg conceded the first defeat of the season in the Handball Bundesliga in a hot duel in the East with European League winner Füchse Berlin.
The runners-up lost 26:31 (12:14) and lost a competitive game for the first time in three years against the capital club, which now, like the defending champion and table leader THW Kiel, has 6:0 points on the account. The German record champion is challenged on Thursday in the 109th northern derby at SG Flensburg-Handewitt.
In front of 8692 spectators, the 42-year-old oldie Hans Lindberg and left winger Jerry Tollbring were the best throwers for the strong Berliners with eight goals each. Goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev, who fended off 14 throws by the guests, became the guarantor of victory.
Coach Wiegert critical
The most successful shooter at SCM, who has 4:2 points, was Michael Damgaard with four goals. “We missed a lot today. I’ve never seen such a bad shooting rate with us,” criticized coach Bennet Wiegert after the final whistle on the Dyn streaming service.
From the start, both teams gave nothing in a hard-fought game. In the first half none of the rivals could pull away by more than two goals. After the change, the foxes developed a four-goal lead for the first time at 21:17 (42nd minute), which they defended with a lot of passion and even increased to six goals just under ten minutes before the end.
In the hectic final phase, Magdeburg’s Janus Dadi Smarason was disqualified after a foul on Mathias Gidsel. The Icelander also saw the blue card, which means he is also threatened with a ban.
