In the sixth minute of Handball match between HSG Wetzlar and front runner Magdeburg it got loud in the hall. Goalkeeper Gennadiy Komok entered the field for the first time, the HSG fans kept calling his name. Komok fled his homeland with the Ukrainian national team and his family after the start of the war. Had two days before the game the HSG announced its commitment.
Well, in this sixth minute, Komok found himself facing the key Magdeburg player Omar Ingi Magnusson with a penalty. The man from New Wetzlar wiped over the crossbar, stood up – and saved the shot with his right leg to the thunderous applause of the 4,116 fans. Komok also parried the next seven meters from Magdeburg.
Komok: “My parents are still in Ukraine”
It could have been a dream debut for the 34-year-old because the Wetzlar team more than stood up to the superior team from Magdeburg. They were consistently in the lead up to the 40th minute, but then the injury-plagued home side could no longer withstand the individual class of the opponent. in the end it was 26:29. Komok was also more and more powerless against the counterattacks by Magdeburg. But the sporting result took a back seat to the emotional importance of the game anyway.
After the game, Komok hugged his wife, nine-year-old daughter and five-year-old son at the gang. On the way to the dressing room, he spoke about his debut, still moved and with slightly wet eyes: “I’m incredibly happy and grateful that I’m with this team. I really want to help Wetzlar.”
Lots of happy and unfortunate coincidences in Komok’s signing
He signed a contract until the end of the season and is now secure with his wife and children. “My parents are still in Zaporizhia. We are so happy that we are here now, at the same time emotionally at home and also helping financially. All hell is breaking loose across the country, there is fighting everywhere, even in the greater Zaporizhia area. It’s horrible . The fighting could start at any time at home. I’m very concerned for the people who are still there.”
Komok had regularly won the championship and played in the Champions League with his home club HC Motor Zaporizhschja. He also made more than 50 appearances for the Ukrainian national team and also played at the recent European Championships in Hungary and Slovakia. When war broke out, he was with the team preparing for the World Cup qualifiers against Finland. The national players were allowed to leave the country with their families and were initially accommodated in Großwallstadt. National coach Slava Lochmann activated his contacts from his playing days.