Mathias Gidsel was the best shooter with 10 goals (archive photo) Photo: picture alliance / Maximilian Koch
From BZ/dpa
The Füchse Berlin surprisingly reached the final at the IHF Super Globe in Saudi Arabia. The Berliners won the first semi-final against favorites FC Barcelona on Saturday after extra time thanks to great morale with 35:34 (16:16, 29:29).
In the final on Sunday, the Berliners will meet the winner of the subsequent game between Barlinek Industria Kielce and defending champion SC Magdeburg. The best Berlin throwers were Mathias Gidsel with ten goals and Hans Lindberg with eight goals.
From the start it was an even game between the Bundesliga leaders and the eleven-time Champions League winners. The Berliners repeatedly managed to play quick attacks. In the middle of the first half, the Foxes were able to pull away for the first time at 12:8. But two time penalties brought coach Jaron Siewert’s team a little out of step. Barcelona responded with a 4-0 run.
The Foxes also missed too many top-class opportunities. Nothing changed at the start of the second half. Barcelona not only took the lead for the first time after the break, but also extended it to 20:17.
But the Foxes fought back and equalized 70 seconds before the end to make it 29:29. Six seconds before the end, Lasse Ludwig even saved a controversial penalty. The extension also remained exciting. Nils Lichtlein scored the winning goal 29 seconds before the end. The Spaniards’ last throw was blocked.