The “fox hunt” has opened, the first pursuer the German champion Füchse Berlin is just escaping in a true handball thriller. Five days before the start of the 60th Bundesliga season, the team around world handball player Mathis Gidsel in Munich won the supercup after seven-meter throwing against the incumbent cup winner THW Kiel.
In the previous year, too, the Berliners had decided to determine the location shortly before the Bundesliga start, at the time as a second championship against Double winner SC Magdeburg. This time, however, they competed in front of 10,298 spectators in the SAP Garden for the first time as a German champion.
“The Supercup is not the biggest title in world handball that can be achieved”, it is therefore “certainly not overrated”, the Berlin sports director Stefan Kretzschmar had emphasized in advance. However, he should be very satisfied with the current constitution of his team – even if Kiel made up a little in the second half.
At first everything looked like a clear victory of the foxes. For a quarter of an hour, the Kielers were able to keep the game open – from the score of 10:10 but the gap grew up to six goals. “Berlin continues as last year,” said national coach Alfred Gislason at the break at “Dyn”.
At the same time, Gislason emphasized what was unmistakable: “Gidsel”, he stated, “of course is outstanding, it makes the difference.” In fact, the 26 -year -old Olympic champion and world champion from Denmark scored seven times in the first half, in the end he had scored eight goals in the regular season.
It was still not a walk for the foxes. The Faring international Elias Ellefsen á Skipagötu with a total of eight goals and goalkeeper Andreas Wolff (13 parades) kept the Kiel in the game. After the break, they shortened the gap in a flash and took the lead for the first time in the 43rd minute, which they even expanded to three hits at 29:26 (53.). In the end, however, the THW went out again, the decision was made.
For the fourth time, the Thuringian HC’s subordinates prevailed for the fourth time. After a spectacular catch-up hunting, the team of coach Herbert Müller, who sensationally won the European League in May, defeated runner-up HSG Blomberg-Lippe 31:10 (10:14).
The THC, which was initially behind after 20 minutes with nine goals, replaced the insolvent Double winner and defending champion HB Ludwigsburg in Munich.