The German handball champion Füchse Berlin has suffered a setback in the race for first place in its Champions League group.
- The Foxes suffered their second defeat in the Champions League
- They had little to counter Kielce’s physical style of play
- But the quarter-finals are already certain
In the Handball Champions League they have Foxes Berlin suffered a defeat on Thursday. The German champions lost against the Polish first division team KS Kielce in their own hall with 31:33 (13:15). The best Berlin goalscorer was Mathias Gidsel with 10 goals.
It was only the second defeat of the competition for the Foxes. Before the game, they were already assured of a place in the top two of Group A and thus a direct place in the quarter-finals, while their opponents from Poland have to go through the round of 16 in any case. There are still two games left to play in the group phase.
Physical game in front of a big backdrop
Although there wasn’t much at stake for the home team in the duel, the backdrop in the sold-out Max Schmeling Hall was impressive. 8,611 spectators made a lot of noise and saw a start at eye level. Both sides quickly sought a conclusion, but the Berliners were still a little lacking in efficiency. After being 3:6 behind, they equalized after a good quarter of an hour.
Keeper Dejan Milosavljev also got better over time and helped the Foxes get through the weak phase. But the game became increasingly physical and disjointed, which didn’t benefit the hosts. Shortly before the break, the Poles started another 6-2 run and went into the locker room with a two-goal lead.
A brief rebellion, then the deserved defeat
The game remained tough in the second half and Kielce initially stayed ahead, even pulling ahead with four goals (19:23). But as the time went on, the guests ran out of breath and could only think of little. The Berliners were able to use this to their advantage. World handball player Mathias Gidsel in particular now played up and brought his team back into the lead for the first time in a long time twelve minutes before the end (26:25).
But instead of pulling away, the Foxes began to make more mistakes and repeatedly despaired of the Poles’ physical defense. In the final phase, the guests suddenly got a second breath. When Max Darj on the Berlin side received a time penalty against him in the decisive phase and the Berlin team had to play the last 90 seconds of the game outnumbered, the defeat was sealed.
Broadcast: rbb|24, February 26, 2026, 8:40 p.m
