Thanks to a huge surprise, SC Magdeburg reaches for Europe’s handball crown. At the Final Four in Cologne on Saturday (June 17th, 2023), the German runner-up defeated the defending champion and record winner FC Barcelona 40:39 after a seven-meter throw in the thrilling first semi-final and can dream of the second premier class triumph after 2002.
Kay Smits (12 goals) and Michael Damgaard (8) were the best shooters for Magdeburg. Coach Bennet Wiegert’s team played to the full cheers of the 19,250 spectators in the sold-out Cologne Arena and ended a memorable series: Barca left the field as losers for the first time in 25 CL games.
Right from the start, Magdeburg was at eye level with the top favorites and kept the game tight. After the change, Magdeburg gained a two-goal lead for the first time at 24:22, and in the final phase the Spanish series champion was ahead again.
Bezjak strong in overtime
Top scorer Smits saved Magdeburg with his equalizer to 31:31 three seconds before the end of the game. Damgaard then prevented another goal with a save after Magdeburg had taken out the goalkeeper for the last few seconds.
In the extension, the German runners-up then took the initiative. Marko Bezjak in particular turned up the heat, his three goals helped Magdeburg to a two-goal lead. But Barca came back again, Timothey N’guessan saving the Catalans with three goals in the penalty shoot-out.
Keeper Jensen takes Magdeburg to the final
The Magdeburgers had better nerves there, Barca rejected three times. After Melvyn Richardson and Dika Mem had forgiven, keeper Mike Jensen saved Ludovic Fabregas’ crucial seven-metre throw.
The Magdeburgers had already celebrated their first participation in the final tournament in the cathedral city as a great success. 21 years after the historical first Champions League victory of a German team by the SCM under the coach at that time and today’s national coach Alfred Gislason, the Bördestadt team can again put on Europe’s handball crown.
Kristjansson seriously injured again: “It tears my heart apart”
In the final, however, Magdeburg will have to do without backcourt ace Gisli Kristjansson. The Icelander was injured four minutes from the end of regular time after being diagnosed with a serious right shoulder injury and is expected to be out for months.
“This breaks my heart. What can I say“, said SCM coach Wiegert. “We have a bloody duty to do the same for him tomorrow. We are now responsible.” Kristjansson surprisingly only recovered for the Final Four after breaking an ankle in the premier class quarter-finals last May.
Kielce with keeper Wolff in the second semi-final against PSG
In the second semi-final, Paris Saint-Germain (from 6 p.m. in the live ticker) meets last year’s finalists KS Kielce with the German national keeper Andreas Wolff in the box.