At the weekend, the four best teams in Europe will be fighting for the Champions League title in Cologne. SC Magdeburg celebrates its debut in the prestigious Final Four tournament – and at the same time has something to make up for.
The last time SC Magdeburg won the Champions League, Gerhard Schröder was chancellor, the euro had just been introduced and people danced to the Las Ketchup song. 8,000 spectators, packed with sacks full of confetti, cheered on the team around Stefan Kretzschmar, Olafur Stefansson and Bennet Wiegert in the Bördeland Hall in the final of the Champions League 2002. It was the first title in the premier class for a German club. Historical.
Wiegert is now on the sidelines as an SCM trainer. Instead of 8,000, 20,000 frenetic fans awaited him and his team in the sold-out Kölnarena. Deafening cheering, the fan blocks dipped in the colors of the clubs, the atmosphere electrifying – a special setting for every handball player. For SC Magdeburg it is the debut in the Final Four tournament, which has existed since 2010.
Magdeburg against top favorite
However, the Cologne Final Four backdrop is not unknown to the Magdeburg players. Just over two months ago, SC Magdeburg played in the Final Four for the DHB Cup in the “Handball Cathedral“. That ended in bitter disappointment. Match point awarded, double overtime and defeat in the seven-meter throw in the final against the Rhein-Neckar-Löwen. Things should now be different on the international stage.
But: The way to the final on Sunday could hardly be harder for Magdeburg. FC Barcelona is waiting for the title in the semi-finals on Saturday (3:15 p.m. in the Sportschau live ticker). Dika Mem, Ludovic Fabregas, Gonzalo Perez de Vargas – the team is peppered with absolute top stars, an exceptional team that “Elite in European handball“, as SCM player Lukas Mertens calls them. They have been unbeaten in the Champions League for 25 games. And: Magdeburg could create something historic. Winning the title would be the third in a row and the twelfth overall.
Good terrain for underdogs
There is hope that the most prestigious competition in club handball, of all things, keeps surprising winners. Since the introduction of the Final Four mode in 2010, the supposed underdogs have repeatedly raised the trophy: 2013 HSV Hamburg, 2014 SG Flensburg-Handewitt, 2016 KS Kielce, 2018 Montpellier and Vardar Skopje succeeded twice – 2017 and 2019.
And it wouldn’t be the first time that the SCM has annoyed the big FC Barcelona: in 2021 and 2022 Magdeburg beat Barca in the IHF Super Globe Finals. Wiegert can also fall back on an important key player for the Champions League weekend: playmaker Gisli Krisjansson is back in the squad just four weeks after breaking his ankle. He and Kay Smits on the right back are the two most prolific goalscorers in Magdeburg’s ranks. Against the strong FCB defense, the SCM will urgently need the two to forget the DHB Cup frustration.
Wolff wants revenge
Final frustration, double overtime and then the defeat in the 7-meter throw – Andreas Wolff is familiar with that. Last year, the German national goalkeeper already had a hand on the trophy in the premier class. With his club KS Kielce from Poland, he had to admit defeat to FC Barcelona in a dramatic final. For minutes he had sat at the goalpost, his face in his hands, in the midst of the roaring arena. It is “heartbreaking and very, very frustrating” was, says Andreas Wolff today. “We definitely want to win the title this time.“
The team is just as strong as last year, the key positions have basically not changed. Alex Dujshebaev leads the strong backcourt, right winger Arkadiusz Moryto is currently a contender for this season’s top scorer trophy with 92 goals and a hit rate of an unbelievable 82 percent. The great support in goal: Of course Andreas Wolff.
Sixth attempt for Paris
Kielce meets Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals. The French champions are in Cologne for the sixth time and the Parisians have never won – despite being favorites in recent years. The 215 centimeter tall backcourt player Dainis Krisopans probably stands out the most in the PSG squad. He and Luc Steins, who is more than 40 centimeters smaller in the playmaker position, complement each other well.
Difficult to say who will come out on top in this semi-final. “The day’s form will decide, you can’t say that a team is favoured“, says Wolff. With its fans, Kielce still has an ace up its sleeve. Hardly any other block of fans has heated up the arena as much as the supporters of the Polish champions in recent years.
“There is an unbelievable atmosphere in the arena. I’m in absolute anticipation“, says Wolff. “It’s the biggest title you can win as a club player, it’s always been my dream“, says Wolff. For him it would be the first of his career.