Handball record champions THW Kiel suffered their first defeat in the fifth group game of the Champions League. The Schleswig-Holsteiners, who had previously lost no points, lost 30:34 (16:19) to the Norwegian title holders Kolstad IL.
With the exception of the first 15 minutes, coach Filip Jicha’s team showed a good performance against the Norwegian star ensemble on Thursday evening, which gives hope for the rest of the Bundesliga season, which has been so disappointing so far.
The “Zebras” were close to winning a point until the final phase, but ultimately had to admit defeat to the Northern Europeans, who were better individually in terms of width.
THW is overrun by Kolstad in the early stages
The THW initially threatened to suffer the same fate as SC Pick Szeged on the previous “premier league” match day. The Hungarians were literally overrun by Kolstad in the first period and were already more or less hopelessly behind 11:24 at the break. Kiel found themselves 7:12 behind in the Trondheim Spektrum after 14 minutes. And like Szeged, the North Germans didn’t have much to counter the Norwegians’ very fast-paced and varied attacking game in the early stages.
The home team cleverly pulled apart Kiel’s defense again and again and converted 13 of their 15 shots in the first quarter of an hour, which corresponded to an impressive shooting rate of 87 percent. What was particularly nice to see was her goal to make it 11:6 by former THW professional Sander Sagosen, who completed a Kempa trick (13th).
Kiel fights its way back into the game
The “Zebras” were shown off at times, but then managed to fight their way into the game. From the middle of the first section, the defense was more compact and, above all, quicker on its feet than before. And in possession of the ball, the German record champions now had one or two more ideas than in the early stages, when the Kiel shooters too often finished too early and from poor positions. The Bundesliga team was able to reduce the score to 12:13 (23′), but then got in their own way.
Nikola Bilyk and Domagoj Duvnjak were a bit too impetuous in the final phase of the first round and had to leave the plate for two minutes each, thus weakening their team. Kolstad was able to pull away to three goals again by halftime.
Kolstad Handball – THW Kiel 34:30 (19:16)
Kolstad handball goals: Gudjonsson 10, Sagosen 8/1, Johannessen 5, Aalberg 4, Röd 4, Gullerud 2, Hovde 1
THW Kiel: Ekberg 10/4, Bilyk 4, Dahmke 4, Reinkind 4, M. Landin 3, Wiencek 2, Ellefsen a Skipagotu 1, Johansson 1, Pekeler 1
Viewers: 7,120
Penalty minutes: 8/10
Wiencek equalizes – Kolstad counters with a 3-0 run
After the break it became increasingly quiet in the Trondheim multi-purpose hall. Kiel did an excellent job of narrowing down the circle of the Norwegian double winner’s strong individualists. In addition, keeper Tomáš Mrkva unnerved the home team and their fans with some strong saves. When Patrick Wiencek equalized in the 43rd minute to make it 24:24, the momentum finally seemed to be on Schleswig-Holstein’s side.
But Kolstad countered the THW’s comeback with a 3-0 run to make it 27:24 (46th). In this phase, the star ensemble, which had had a mixed start to this season, demonstrated its ability to defend itself against resistance.
“Zebras” too hectic in the final phase
But Kiel also showed morale and a great fighting spirit. The Jicha team once again managed to reduce the deficit to one goal (27:28/49th). But in the end all their effort wasn’t enough to turn things around because, on the one hand, the North Germans couldn’t get their former teammate Sagosen under control and, on the other hand, they acted too hectic in attack from the middle of the second period. The hosts were able to increase the score to 31:27 (54′) – the preliminary decision.
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NDR 2 Sport | Oct 19, 2023 | 11:03 p.m
