SC Magdeburg won the second leg of the quarterfinals against Wisla Plock 30:28 (13:13) and thus made it into the final four of the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. In the sold-out arena in Magdeburg, both teams delivered a true handball thriller that was only decided in the very final phase.
What a fight, what a suspense! SC Magdeburg crowned the two gripping quarter-final games against Wisla Plock with reaching the semi-finals and turned their own hall into a madhouse. After the 22:22 first leg in Poland, head coach Bennet Wiegert hoped that the SCM fans would make the difference in a knife-edge duel. He should be right.
Balanced first half
In the sold-out GETEC Arena, a physical fight at eye level immediately developed. The 800 Polish visiting fans who traveled with them, who contributed to the outstanding atmosphere in the hall throughout the game, saw a courageous away team that punished every defensive mistake made by Magdeburg with ice cold. Magdeburg couldn’t take a chance in the first 30 minutes to gain more than one goal and so the game went into the break with a tie (13:13).
SCM pulls away in the last meters
Without Gisli Kristjansson, who broke his ankle in the first leg, and Philipp Weber (wing band) and Oscar Bergendahl (foot), who were also injured, the SCM rarely found playful solutions against the well-assorted Polish defense block. The result was a lot of distance throws and a significantly lower hit rate.
It took until the final phase for the home side to gain a two-goal lead (45th, 22:20). Kay Smits opened the gate to Cologne with two of his 14 goals – Mike Jensen then made the decision with two amazing saves.
Kay Smits was once again player of the match with his 14 goals.
The subsequent frenzy of joy in the hall knew no bounds. The otherwise so tidy coach Bennet Wiegert was close to tears.
outlook
In the exciting HBL championship fight, Magdeburg continues on Sunday (May 21, 2 p.m.) against SG Flensburg-Handewitt. Bennet Wiegert’s team is currently in second place behind leaders THW Kiel, who still have a catch-up game to play.
Next month, on the weekend of June 17th and 18th, the Champions League Final Four will take place in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne. Group phase competitor PSG, who won their quarterfinals against THW Kiel, will also be there.
SCM fans can look forward to a lot in this season, which will be remembered for a long time.
—
jas