The Rhein-Neckar Lions have made a successful start to the group phase of the European League. The handball Bundesliga team won against Swedish champions IFK Kristianstad 26:20 (13:10).
In front of 3,251 spectators, national player Juri Knorr was the top scorer with nine goals for coach Sebastian Hinze’s team, which continues next week with a home game against French title contenders HBC Nantes. The third opponent in preliminary group A is the top Portuguese club Benfica Lisbon.
Juri Knorr and David Späth with strong performances
In Kristianstad, the Lions struggled for a long time in the first half; it was only a 3-0 run shortly before the break that gave them a 13:10 half-time lead. Led by the outstanding Knorr and a strong goalkeeper David Späth (17 saves), Mannheim quickly pulled away to 21:12 (29th) after the restart and then defended their lead without much effort.
