Light and shadow for the German Champions League hopes at the start.
While handball record champion THW Kiel started the group phase with a never-threatened 30:23 (16:9) against Croatian champions RK PPD Zagreb, defending champion SC Magdeburg conceded a 28:33 (18:21) in a duel between two co-favorites against Telekom Veszprem.
For Kiel, which is aiming for its fifth Champions League victory after 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2020 even without its departed stars Sander Sagosen and Niklas Landin, national player Patrick Wiencek was the top scorer with eight goals. Star right winger Niclas Ekberg saw the red card.
Kiel has caught a demanding group, other opponents include Paris St. Germain, last year’s finalist Industria Kielce with national goalkeeper Andreas Wolff and the Danish top club Aalborg Handbold with Niklas Landin and the former world handball player Mikkel Hansen as well as Kolstad IL with Sagosen.
Magdeburg fell behind in the early stages in their own hall and chased it until the end. Michael Damgaard Nielsen became Magdeburg’s top scorer with six goals.
Both German representatives have “very good chances” of reaching the Final Four in Cologne (June 8th/9th), national coach Alfred Gislason told the SID before the start of the premier class.