After an eight-goal deficit: Gummersbach equalizes late and can dream of Europe

As of: April 30, 2026 • 9:37 p.m

For a long time, VfL Gummersbach had little to counter a self-confident Göppingen performance. The equalizer comes at the last minute.

VfL Gummersbach manages a 29:29 (12:19) draw against Frisch Auf! Göppingen. After an error-filled first half, VfL at least secured a point for a possible European Cup place.

When Gummersbach was already in the lead by two goals after less than two minutes of play, it initially seemed as if the hosts would start this game as the dominant team. But Göppingen quickly corrected this impression. The Swabians appeared confident and soon put VfL in trouble with their high-tempo game; after eight minutes of play the guests were leading 3-2.

Göppingen full self-consciousness

Göppingen had every reason to be fearless, as the team had won six times in the previous seven games. There was only one defeat against leaders Magdeburg. Gummersbach could also be proud of an extremely successful performance, after all VfL had only not won one league game since the beginning of the year. Nevertheless, the Gummersbachers simply couldn’t get into the game and allowed themselves to be overrun by the guests. After a quarter of the game they were already ahead with 10:5 goals.

Gummersbach continued to miss the enthusiasm and aggressiveness of the Göppingen team. The team was further weakened by two injury-related substitutions in the first half. Miro Schluroff had to come off with a finger injury, Ellidi Snaer Vidarssin came into the locker room with an injured nose. However, both returned to the game after treatment.

Gummersbach with many mistakes

Until the end of the first half, VfL simply did not manage to reach its full potential. While Göppingen hardly made any mistakes and was bursting with joy, Gummersbach was still not really alert and made many technical errors in attack. The defense, after all the second best in the league, also didn’t perform as usual. So the hosts had to go into the dressing room with a 12:19 deficit.

The second half started with a 7-meter throw for the guests, which they did not convert. However, this setback from Göppingen did not give VfL the boost it urgently needed. Gummersbach’s game was still marked by major mistakes. In the meantime the team was behind by eight goals.

Late turnaround in the Gummersbach game

Only in the last third of the game did Gummersbach’s performance change. The defense now coordinated better. The fans in the stands also provided loud support. In the 42nd minute of the game, the hosts had reduced the deficit to 18:21.

The now stable defensive performance of the Gummersbachers gave them the peace to sort themselves out better in the offensive game. They made significantly fewer mistakes there than in the first half. But Göppingen continued to defend itself against Gummersbach superiority. The last ten intense minutes of the game started with a score of 23:25.

In the final phase, VfL managed to reduce the deficit to one point. The equalizer came in the last minute.

Next game in Franconia

VfL will be visiting Erlangen in the next game on May 10th (4:30 p.m.).

Our sources:

Broadcast: WDR.de“Gummersbach and Göppingen draw in a draw”, 04/30/269:32 p.m