SC Magdeburg has postponed the title decision in the Handball Bundesliga. The champions won their last home game against TBV Stuttgart on Thursday evening (08.06.23) 31:27 (20:13), but still only have a theoretical chance of defending the title.
Going into the last matchday, Magdeburg is in second place, two points and 37 goals behind THW Kiel. The Magdeburgers, where Kay Smits was the best thrower with six goals, secured the renewed qualification for the Champions League. It got emotional after the final whistle when five Green-Reds, some of whom had been with us for many years, were said goodbye.
Five players said goodbye after the game
29 days after his ankle injury, playmaker Gisli Kristjansson was surprisingly in the SCM squad. The Icelander initially took a seat on the bench while the outgoing Marko Bezjak pulled the strings. The SCM had the game under control from the start and was already leading by six goals after 12 minutes (9:3). After 17 minutes, Kristjansson came on the plate, Stuttgart had reduced (11:7), but Magdeburg was clearly in the lead at the break. After the break, Stuttgart covered more offensively, restricting the SCM offensive more and was able to keep the defeat tolerable.
Shortly before the end, coach Bennet Wiegert took a break to say goodbye to Bezjak. The Slovenian is leaving Magdeburg after eleven years at the club. A total of five players were said goodbye after the game: In addition to Bezjak, winter signing Vladan Lipovina, goalkeeper Mike Jensen, Smits, who is moving to SG Flensburg-Handewitt, and Piotr Chrapkowski (in Magdeburg since 2017).