As of: October 20, 2024 7:38 a.m
THW Kiel celebrated its fifth win of the season in the handball Bundesliga on Saturday evening. The record champions defeated 1. VfL Potsdam 27:23 (13:11). The “Zebras” seemed tired and unfocused after the rush of deadlines over the past few weeks, only national goalkeeper Andreas Wolff played in normal form.
Coach Filip Jicha‘s team had played five games in three competitions within twelve days since October 3rd – a fact that was clearly noticeable to the THW in the duel with the blatant outsiders. Especially in attack, the record champions were unfocused and inaccurate for long periods of the game.
It was thanks to goalkeeper Wolff that the boldly promoted newcomer didn’t annoy the Kiel team even more that evening. The Brandenburg team had enough chances, but the 33-year-old parried 13 shots. Eric Johansson was the Jicha team’s best thrower with seven goals.
“I gave the boys the day off tomorrow to clear their heads.”
THW-Trainer Filip Jicha
Left winger Rune Dahmke warned after the victory that we had to continue to do things better. His coach praised their own defensive work, but after the “combat game” he also said that Potsdam “given his team hardly any opportunities for one-on-ones with an incredibly strong defense” and that they “often disrupted the processes with their attacking halves”. . Looking at the stress of the past few weeks, the Czech said that the team had “a good trip in their bones”, so “I gave the boys the day off tomorrow to clear their heads.”
The THW once again doesn’t have much time to regenerate – physically and mentally – and the hunt for appointments continues on Tuesday. Then the “Zebras” face the Croatian club RK Nasice in the third group game of the European League (8.45 p.m.). In the Bundesliga we go to HC Erlangen next Friday (8.30 p.m.).
More information
Results, schedule, table and teams of the Handball Bundesliga HBL 2024/2025. more
Wolff strong, Bilyk back on the plate
The opening phase in the Kiel Arena had two main protagonists: THW goalkeeper Wolff, who took away five shots from the guests in the first quarter of an hour, and backcourt player Nikola Bilyk, who returned after recovering from injury. When he was sent to the plate by coach Jicha in the 12th minute, the “Zebras” fans celebrated him. And even more so when he made it 6:4 two minutes later.
Defensively, the record champions had the newcomers, who lack a real shooter from the backcourt, well under control. On the offensive, however, the Schleswig-Holstein team did not act with the utmost consistency: Lukas Zerbe at the post (13th) and Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu, who missed the goal with two inaccurate shots (16th and 26th), missed the best chances . The team also repeatedly made technical errors.
THW is erratic on the offensive, Potsdam is sticking with it
And so Brandenburg got better and better into the game: Josip Simic – standing with his back to the goal – “magic” the ball into the corner for VfL’s ninth goal (11:9, 26th). Kiel’s three-goal lead (11:8, 24′) melted away. Two minutes before the end of the first half, the outsiders equalized – because Potsdam’s goalkeeper Martin Tomovski saved a seven-meter penalty from Emil Madsen and because David Cyrill Akakpo made it 11:11 in the counterattack.
Tore Kiel: Johansson (7), Jacobson (4/2 Siebenmeter), Madsen (3/1), Duvnjak (2), Wiencek (2), Dahmke (2), Zerbe (2), Bilyk (2), Pekeler (2), Skipagötu (1)
Gates Potsdam: Akakpo (5), Simic (5), Klein (5), Siemer (2/2 seven meters), Kix (2), Kofler (1), Schramm (1), Gorpishin (1), Furhmann (1)
Viewers: 10.053
At least from Kiel’s point of view: Patrick Wiencek (29th) and Magnus Landin a few seconds before halftime ensured a two-goal lead at the break.
Wolff and Duvnjak decide the game
The Schleswig-Holsteiners had to improve – and did so at the beginning of the second half: Johansson hammered the ball into the corner (32nd), Landin took the first four-goal lead of the game (15:11, 34th). Afterwards, the slippery slope returned again – with technical errors and missed throws. Wolff did what he could, but even the 33-year-old couldn’t prevent Simic from scoring again (15:14, 39′).
The fact that the game didn’t become even more shaky for the “Zebras” was due to another series of saves by the national goalkeeper in the middle of the second half. And since Domagoj Duvnjak, another veteran, gave Kiel’s game at least a touch more structure, the hosts gradually pulled away. The Croatian either skilfully played free for his teammates or scored himself – like in the decisive 23:17 (50th). But that didn’t change the overall erratic impression.
More information
The 32:28 against the Serbs was the second win in the second game of Group E for the German handball record champions. more
This topic in the program:
Sports current | 19.10.2024 | 11:25 p.m
