The day before, the THW trainer had already praised the morale of his protégés after the defeat against Barcelona. “I’m extremely proud of my team, who really dropped everything that was in their legs and minds,” said the Czech, adding: “I’m sorry for the boys that they couldn’t reward themselves . They fought incredibly.”
“Barcelona were clearly better”
However, in the duel with the Spanish series champion in front of 19,750 fans in Cologne, that was not enough to create the sporting sensation Jicha was hoping for. “If you want to win against Barça, you have to show a perfect performance. We didn’t manage that today because we missed a few chances at the beginning of the second half,” complained the 40-year-old, who as a player works with both THW and won the most important club cup with Barça.
The absence of superstar Sander Sagosen and defense chief Hendrik Pekeler ultimately proved to be too big a mortgage. “I don’t want to look for excuses, but of course we missed them,” said Duvnjak. However, the Croatian left no doubt about the Catalans’ deserved success: “You have to say clearly that Barcelona were better.”
Mainly because some of Kiel’s trump cards didn’t stand out this time. On the offensive, Sweden’s European champion Niclas Ekberg in particular sinned. “I’m incredibly disappointed, especially with myself, because today I missed my chances,” said the right winger self-critically.
“We can be satisfied”
The disadvantage in the goalkeeper position weighed even more heavily. Landin, actually a safe bet between the THW posts, was not a factor at all. The Danish world champion clearly lost out in a duel with his counterpart Gonzalo Perez de Vargas and then admitted: “Unfortunately, I didn’t get the day I would have liked to have.” Only six saves were not enough to stop the strong offensive of the star ensemble from Barcelona.
So it did not come to the culmination of a season in which the Kiel team at least did not remain untitled thanks to the DHB Cup victory. As runners-up behind the sovereign champion SC Magdeburg, THW is also in the premier class in the 2022/23 season and can then make another attempt at Europe’s handball throne. “We’ve always stood together,” Landin praised the team spirit, and Duvnjak summed it up: “We can be satisfied.”