The Füchse Berlin got their ticket to the Final Four in the DHB Cup in a hard-fought and close game against THW Kiel.
- The Foxes beat Kiel 32:30 and are in the Cup Final Four
- After a weak start, the Berliners found their way into the game thanks to their strong goalkeeper Milosavljev
- A time penalty against Kiel shortly before the end ensured the preliminary decision
- In the semi-finals Berlin meets TBV Lemgo
The Füchse Berlin have booked their ticket for the Final Four in the DHB Cup. In the quarterfinals, the German champions beat THW Kiel at home on Thursday evening with 32:30 (16:17). Berlin’s best goalscorer was Mathias Gidsel with nine goals.
In the final tournament on April 18th and 19th, 2026 in Cologne, the Füchse will meet the surprise team of this year’s Bundesliga season, TBV Lemgo Lippe, in the semifinals. In a possible final, either SC Magdeburg or Bergische HC would wait.
Berliners with Initial problems
In the Max Schmeling Hall, the guests from Kiel got off to a better start in front of 8,525 spectators. Without any major problems, they repeatedly managed to break through the Foxes’ defensive line and score easy goals.
On the other hand, the Foxes seemed tired and unfocused and carelessly missed one or two promising throws. In addition, coach Nicolej Krickau still had to do without the injured top performer Lasse Andersson. The Berliners were behind 3:7 after just ten minutes.
Goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev breathed new energy into his team with several good saves. The Foxes got into the game better, became more dynamic and were ahead for the first time after a good quarter of an hour (10:9). The THW remained the better team until the break, but failed to build a lead. Only by hitting a direct free throw with the final siren did Eric Johansson secure Kiel’s lead at halftime (17:16).
Gidsel and Milosavljev secure the victory
Back on the court, both teams initially showed uncertainty and made mistakes. However, the Berliners managed to get out of there more quickly. Also because the guests tried again and again in seven against six and took the keeper off the field, which however fell on their feet again and again and allowed the Foxes easy goals. In addition, world handball player Matthias Gidsel was slowly getting going. With a 4-0 run, the German champions took the lead again (22:19).
However, the game became more and more intense as the game went on, which didn’t seem to benefit the hosts. They left far too much up front, went seven minutes without scoring their own goal and only had the strong goalkeeper Milosavljev and his ten saves in the second half to thank for staying in the game.
However, the early decision resulted in a time penalty against Hendrik Pekeler from Kiel, who was only able to stop Gidsel with a grab on the neck five minutes before the end. The Berliners took advantage of the numerical advantage to score quick goals and were now able to pull ahead by two goals (29:27). In the end, they should take the lead and secure their place in the final tournament.
Broadcast: rbb|24, December 18, 2025, 8:56 p.m
