Defending champion SC Magdeburg reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League early. Three days after their first Bundesliga defeat, the German handball runner-up won 37:30 (17:15) against the Danish talent factory GOG Handbold.
Both sides started with some lapses in concentration: the guests missed five of their first seven attacks, Magdeburg made several technical errors, but still led (4:2/7.). Bennet Wiegert’s team subsequently gained a four-goal lead, but their offensive play remained flawed. The Danes used this to equalize (14:14/26.). At the break the SCM led again with two goals.
SCM pulls away – Zehnder makes a comeback
After the break, the SCM quickly moved back to four goals, with goalkeeper Matej Mandic contributing one goal (20:16/34th), who hit the empty net. A feat that he managed to do again a few minutes later. With strong work in defense, the Elbe townspeople managed to force the Danes into weak positions or into mistakes again and again. Felix Claar, who only got his playing time after the break, brought further momentum and Magdeburg went ahead with five goals for the first time (22:17/37.).
The hosts now had the game clearly under control and didn’t let anything go wrong. In the final quarter of an hour, Manuel Zehnder, who is moving to GOG in the summer, made his SCM comeback after a torn cruciate ligament. The Swiss shone with three goals in his short appearance. The hosts’ best thrower in front of 6,240 spectators was Omar Ingi Magnusson (6).
After eleven wins in eleven games, Magdeburg now has 22 points and is dueling with FC Barcelona (20) for group victory in the remaining three group games. The Magdeburg team continues in the Bundesliga on Sunday in the home game against Minden.
SpiO/dpa/sid
