SC Magdeburg reached the Final Four after another gala performance. In the quarter-final second leg, the Wiegert Seven once again gave the Hungarian top team Pick Szeged no chance.
Defending champion SC Magdeburg has qualified for the Final Four of the Champions League in Cologne for the fourth time in a row. In the quarter-final second leg against Hungary’s runner-up Pick Szeged, the Elbe city team won 45:37 (23:19) in the Getec Arena, which was sold out with 6,437 spectators. The overall calculation was 80:65. The best Magdeburg thrower was Omar Ingi Magnusson with eight goals.
Daniel Pettersson (Magdeburg, 11) scored seven goals
SCM pulls away
The Magdeburg team won the first leg by seven goals and the SCM also quickly led in the second leg (5:2/6). The guests tried to cover offensively, but the SCM took advantage of the gaps. Roland Mikler and Tobias Thulin parried a few shots in goal, but that didn’t change the course of the game – Szeged couldn’t shorten the gap. Instead, the Hungarians brought toughness into the game – Mario Sostaric was shown the red card after a hit (30th). At the break, Magdeburg led the overall score with eleven goals.
Szeged comes close briefly
Being outnumbered, the guests reduced the score to two goals after the break when the SCM seemed unfocused defensively. Things went better offensively and Magdeburg maintained its lead at three goals (28:25/36.). The game lacked structure at times, which didn’t bother the Elbestadt team much and they pulled away with five goals again. It was now clear that the SCM would travel to the Final Four in Cologne again.
Draw on Friday
The Füchse Berlin had already booked their ticket for the final tournament in Cologne on Wednesday evening in a thrilling thriller against Veszprem HC from Hungary with 35:33 (31:30, 17:15) after a seven-meter throw. The Spanish top club FC Barcelona and Aalborg HB from Denmark with national player Juri Knorr will also be taking part in the showdown on June 13th and 14th in the Lanxess Arena. The semi-final pairings will be drawn on Friday. Last year, Magdeburg defeated the Foxes in the final and won their third title after 2002 and 2023. Now the title defense awaits, something no German team has ever managed to do.
SpiO/dpa/sid
