Handball record champion THW Kiel started the group phase of the Champions League with a win. The Bundesliga team beat the Norwegian title holder Elverum HB 36:26 (17:13).
Coach Filip Jicha’s team lived up to their role as favourites. After initial difficulties, the Schleswig-Holsteiners got into the game better and better on Wednesday evening in front of their home crowd and finally won easily.
The most successful shooter for the “Zebras” was Harald Reinkind with six goals. Uros Borzas (six goals) scored the most for the visitors.
Bumpy start from the “Zebras”
At first everything seemed to be taking its expected course in the Ostseehalle. The THW led 6:4 (11th) and had both the events and the opponent under control up to this point. However, there followed a phase in which the Kielers became somewhat careless in covering and aimed too imprecisely in the attack. Elverum, who always had a seventh field player on the plate for the goalkeeper when they had the ball, managed a 4-0 run to make it 8-6 (14th).
Jicha team quickly frees itself from a small depression
Many other coaches would have pulled out the green card. Not so Jicha. He decided not to take a break and was confident that his team would get back on track. And so it happened. As the game progressed, the North Germans again showed their individual superiority better. They also benefited from the suboptimal withdrawal behavior of the Norwegians and their somewhat cumbersome cover work at times.
At half time, the “Zebras” had already laid the foundation for victory with a four-goal lead.
THW clearly superior in the second half
After the change of sides, the Bundesliga team flexed their muscles even more impressively. Within eight minutes, the THW pulled away to 23:15 (38th) and thus ensured clear conditions. The Norwegians had nothing more to add. In the second section, it was clear to them that they weren’t really up to speed after the departure of a number of top performers.
Kiel harmonized much better in defense as well as in attack and was even able to conserve his strength in the end – such was the dominance of the Jicha team.
