The German handball champion SC Magdeburg celebrated a successful comeback in the Champions League. Goalkeeper Nikola Portner shone at Dinamo Bucharest.
After an absence of almost 17 years, SC Magdeburg has returned with a victory in the Champions League. The German Handball Champion won 30:28 (16:16) at Dinamo Bucharest on Thursday and thus realized the hoped-for dream start. The SCM has given the achievement of the round of 16 as an interim goal. In Bucharest, Omar Ingi Magnusson was the top scorer of coach Bennet Wiegert’s team with seven goals. But the best player was goalkeeper Nikola Portner. The Swiss almost drove the opponent to despair, especially after the break.
In its first premier class game since December 2005, the SCM initially had problems. The Wiegert team was in the lead for a short time, but then got out of step and ran after a deficit of three goals. Only in the final phase of the first half was Magdeburg back on an equal footing. After the change, the guests pulled away by two goals for the first time and held the lead until seven minutes before the end. Mainly through the saves of the strong goalkeeper Nikola Portner, the SCM prevented the Romanians from taking the lead and deservedly won after a sovereign final phase. In the end, the cool Swiss really unnerved the hosts’ attackers.
Three home games against PSG and Green, among others
In Group A, Magdeburg still meets the Danish representatives GOG Handbold, Porto, Plock, Veszprem, Zagreb and Paris. Three home games follow, against Zagreb, Paris St.Germain with ex-keeper Jannik Green and Wisla Plock.
The top two in each group advance directly to the quarter-finals. The teams in places three to six have to take the detour via the round of 16. In addition to the SCM, the German representative is the cup winner THW Kiel in the premier class, the winner of which receives prize money of one million euros.
