Handball Bundesliga
As of: March 27, 2026 10:13 p.m
It is becoming increasingly difficult for the German handball record champion THW Kiel to qualify for the Champions League via the Bundesliga. On Friday evening, the “Zebras” suffered a bitter setback with a 29:30 (14:17) defeat at MT Melsungen.
THW coach Filip Jicha’s team remains in fourth place in the table due to the defeat on matchday 26 with 36:16 points. Since the EHF wants to reform the Champions League, third place could be enough this season, but that is also a very big task for the “Zebras”.
Suspected broken nose: early exit for Nacinovic
Kiel relied heavily on passes to the circle in the first five minutes in Kassel, but this measure didn’t work at all at first. Two passes from Eric Johansson did not find the addressee Veron Nacinovic, and after a precise pass this time from half-right Harald Reinkind, the Croatian was denied by the strong MT goalkeeper Nebojsa Simic.
It was over for Nacinovic after eleven minutes: During defensive work, his face hit the shoulder of the 2.15 m tall, 135 kg Latvian Dainis Kristopans and suffered a severe nosebleed. After a few minutes lying on his back on the hall floor, the Kieler went into the dressing room with a suspected broken nose. Afterwards, defense specialist Hendrik Pekeler was also used on offense.
THW with many inaccuracies
The North Germans made too many technical errors in the first half. There were six after 23 minutes – the result was an 11:13 deficit at that point. Jicha reacted and changed his keeper. The Spaniard Gonzalo Perez de Vargas moved between the posts for Andreas Wolff (save rate: 14 percent).
There was also a swap in the middle: Elias Ellefsen a Skipagötu replaced Nikola Bilyk and should provide more dynamism. This was only partially successful. The last eight seconds of the first half were really bitter for Kiel. They had the chance to get within one goal, but Johansson made a technical error that David Mandic punished with a long throw into the THW goal. So the guests went into the locker room with a score of 14:17.
A wild back and forth in a strange game
Shortly after the restart, we were even four goals behind, but after a 5-0 run, the Schleswig-Holsteiners were soon ahead 21:20 (39th). Melsunger’s answer: their own 4-0 run. Kiel was back with three goals behind. Jicha took a break. But the deficit initially continued to grow – especially because the THW couldn’t get the ex-Flensburg player Aaron Mensing under control. Nine minutes before the end it was 23:28.
Was that it? No! The game continued to progress in waves. And so the Kiel team, with Wolff back in goal, equalized with a 5-0 run to make it 28:28 (56th).
It came to a head. With a deficit of 28:29, THW right winger Bence Imre put the ball on the post from a seven-meter shot (59′). In return, Timo Kastening scored for Melsungen to make it 30:28. Kiel got within 29:30 through Ellefsen a Skipagötu, but that was as far as it could go. The most successful player from Kiel was Imre with eight goals.
