THW Kiel made a big statement on the sixth group match day of the Handball Champions League. The German record champions won against the French title holders Paris Saint-Germain with 34:28 (13:14) and thus demonstrated that they are still one of the heavyweights on the international stage despite the departure of world-class players Sander Sagosen and Niklas Landin.
It was Schleswig-Holstein’s first win over PSG in almost nine years. An excellent covering performance and an increase in attack performance in the second half were the basis for the coup that the “Zebras” celebrated exuberantly at the plate after the end of the game. With the fifth success in the sixth encounter, the German record champions took the lead in Group A again.
THW plays well, but misses too many chances
The THW showed an excellent performance in the first section at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin, which coach Filip Jicha commented on during his first timeout shortly before the break with the words: “Men, you’re doing very well.” The fact that the Schleswig-Holstein team were still one goal behind at half-time was due to their lack of efficiency in finishing and poor goalkeeping performance.
In attack, the “Zebras” missed too many free throws – three in the first five minutes alone. That was particularly bitter because the Kiel team exploited their opportunities cleverly and often beautifully. Against the tall Paris defense, the guests repeatedly moved their wings into position or tried to achieve success through the half positions.
Bellahcene and Mrkva unlucky in the first half
The THW often solved the complicated task of finding gaps in the home team’s defense around their strong middle block very well. At the end, the Jicha team’s nerves failed too often. In addition, PSG had Jannick Green, an expert in his field, between the posts. While the former Bundesliga goalkeeper from SC Magdeburg defused five shots in the first 30 minutes, Kiel goalkeepers Samir Bellahcene and Tomas Mrkva only managed two saved balls before the break.
A very concentrated and compact defensive performance ensured that the North Germans only conceded 14 goals in the first section, in which they were only in the lead once (7:6/18th).
Kiel leads by two goals for the first time
The strong performance from Kiel had obviously impressed the French. In any case, they left a nervous impression after the restart and played their attacks too quickly and, above all, improperly. The guests scored goals in return. Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu scored two goals to make it 21:19 for the Bundesliga club (39th) and ensure that the PSG fans were no longer quite as enthusiastic as before.
Reinkind puts “Zebras” on the road to victory
But the “Zebras” were unable to shake off the French champions. Quite the opposite: Led by Elohim Prandi, the home team now flexed their muscles and turned the two-goal deficit into a 25:23 lead (45th). Jicha took a time out and told his players before the end: “Calm down – you have to believe in yourself.”
And that’s what the “Zebras” did. They were initially able to equalize through Skipagøtu (26:26/48th) and then even took the lead through Hendrik Pekeler with 28:27 (50th). Ten minutes separated the Schleswig-Holsteiners from their first success at PSG in nine years. When Harald Reinkind then increased the score to 30:27 with two goals (54th) and Niclas Ekberg even managed to make it 31:27 (55th), the end of the winless series on the Seine began to take shape.
The home team was shocked and no longer able to turn the game around. In addition, her compatriot Bellahcene, of all people, unnerved her with a few saves in the last few minutes.
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NDR 2 Sport | Oct 26, 2023 | 11:03 p.m
