As of: November 18, 2025 8:20 p.m
The handball players of TSV Hannover-Burgdorf have qualified early for the main round of the European League. The “Recken” won on Tuesday evening at IK Sävehof in Gothenburg with 30:28 (13:13) and thus celebrated their fourth victory in their fourth game.
It was a complicated game for coach Christian Prokop’s men. After fast-paced weeks in the Bundesliga with some top games (22:24 against Magdeburg, most recently 29:29 at MT Melsungen), the task was to survive in the sparsely occupied “Partillebohallen” in the Sävehof district. Only around 40 steadfast IK supporters from the Kamikazes fan club created a bit of a atmosphere there.
With the Swedes still without a win, strong individual actions were always enough to lead Lower Saxony to victory. And thanks to a strong final phase, it was a safe success in the end.
The first two in each preliminary round group qualify for the main round. And with now eight points, TSV can no longer be pushed out of one of the first two places.
“Rights” start strong – and also decline strongly
The Lower Saxony team got into the game well in Gothenburg. Keeper Joel Birlehm also played a part in this, as he got his hands on a few balls early on. Marian Michalczik gave TSV the lead for the first time with his 4:3 (6th). A little later, Justus Fischer scored to make it 6:4 (8th).
However, the guests lacked consistency halfway through the first half. Sävehof’s Sebastian Durlanu equalized 7:7 in the tenth minute. The “Recken” led again 9:7 (13th), but after that they only managed one more goal in twelve minutes. Leif Tissier and Co. were repeatedly called back for offensive fouls.
But even this modest performance was enough to stand up to the Swedes. At halftime the score was 13:13.
On the road to victory with a 4-0 run?
But the game didn’t get any better even after it restarted. It took the “Recken” four and a half minutes for the first goal of the second half, but by then Sävehof had only scored once (14:14). Time and again, however, speed came into play – which not least suited Hannover-Burgdorf.
Tissier then took the lead for the first time after the break with a remarkable forearm throw in the 42nd minute (19:18). And after a timeout, Renars Uscins (44th) and Fischer (45th) also scored, ensuring a 4-0 run and the first three-goal lead ever (21:18).
Sävehof then cleverly took advantage of a numerical advantage situation to equalize again (21:21/48th). Led by the increasingly strong Renars Uscins, the final phase clearly belonged to Lower Saxony. The game was decided at the latest with Tissier’s 30:25 (58th minute).
