Flensburg (dpa) – The handball players of SG Flensburg-Handewitt have created a good starting position for reaching the quarter-finals in the Champions League.
In front of 1522 spectators, the North Germans won the first leg of the playoff against the Hungarian champions Pick Szeged 25:21 (14:10). The best throwers were Hampus Wanne with five goals for Flensburg and Imanol Garciandia with five goals for the guests. The second leg will take place in Hungary on April 7th.
In the early stages, the goalkeepers put their stamp on the game. Roland Mikler for Szeged and Benjamin Buric for Flensburg showed strong saves. The Hungarians then weakened early. After a slap in the face by Göran Sögard Johannessen, Richard Bodo saw the red card in the 16th minute. The hosts pulled away from 5:5 to 9:6 (19th) to 13:7 (28th).
After the change of sides, the Flensburgers, who were missing Magnus Röd (corona isolation), Emil Jakobsen and Lasse Svan (both gastrointestinal infections), eased up. At 16:17 (41 st ) Szeged caught up. In the final phase, SG coach Maik Machulla relied on playmaker Jim Gottfridsson, who had left the field with an injury in the first half. With his goal to 24:19 (56 th ) the Swede made the preliminary decision.