Handball record champions THW Kiel showed one of their best performances of the season against Füchse Berlin. Old master Domagoj Duvnjak and goalkeeper Samir Bellahcene excelled and provided relief for coach Filip Jicha, who had come under pressure after a weak start to the season.
Jicha paced restlessly back and forth at his coaching bench in the final seconds. Then the tension was released and the release became almost tangible. With 30:26 (14:10) his team won the top game on Sunday against the Foxes, who had previously been unbeaten in the Bundesliga – and made a little amends for the disgrace of the 18:27 defeat in the Champions League against Aalborg three days earlier .
Kiel gets its last chance for the championship
There were just under 72 hours between hell and heaven – a good reflection of the “Zebras’ so fickle season so far”. After the dominant victory on Sunday, the THW handball players danced across the field full of joy. With now 16:10 points, the record champions and defending champions probably had their last chance to intervene in the title fight.
The capital club, on the other hand, had to cede the league lead to Magdeburg with their first defeat in the league. Both clubs are 21:3 points with one game less, seven minus points ahead of the THW.
Return to your own identity
What was more important for the THW than looking at the current table was the strong reaction after the worst start to the season in 21 years – “crowned” by the Aalborg debacle and Hendrik Pekeler’s verbal all-round attack last week. A reaction that was based above all on a (re)consideration of one’s own identity: on a stable defense, a determined and merciless offense, in short a dominance that has made the THW one of the top national and international addresses in handball for years might.
Visiting coach Jaron Siewert emphasized exactly that: “We couldn’t get into our attacking game in the first half because Kiel put up a very robust and physical defense and thus robbed us of many of our weapons.”
“My boys showed an enormous willingness to work.”
— THW coach Filip Jicha
His counterpart Jicha, who had come under increasing pressure after the fluctuating performance, was all the more relieved after the game: “My boys showed an enormous amount of work today, were hard-working, were aggressive. We had the phases with good quality and against the Berliners Attacks processed.” He was particularly pleased by “the reaction to the phases in which things weren’t going well.”
Because there were, for example, right after the restart, when the Füchse halved Kiel’s four-goal lead with a quick 2-0 run within 40 seconds. But the Schleswig-Holsteiners not only resisted physically, but also mentally, when the Berlin team came close to equalizing several times in the middle of the second half.
Duvnjak excels against Berlin
And so goalkeeper Tomas Mrkva emphasized after the final siren: “We players, our coaching team, the staff and the incredible fans got the points together today. That’s the only way it can work in this phase.”
Someone who has stood for this for years and led the way on Sunday was Captain Duvnjak. The Croatian was the outstanding player, not only scoring nine goals in attack in front of the 10,285 spectators in the sold-out Kiel Arena, but was also the decisive man in defense. “We were there from the first second,” said the 35-year-old, pleased with the strong performance of the entire team.
Jicha’s good decisions
His coach praised him after the game: “He is a man that we need incredibly much. Not only on the field, but also outside it. He radiates the THW DNA.” Jicha himself played a large part in the success. He was without Elias Ellefsen á Skipagötu and Nikola Bilyk in the starting lineup. Duvnjak and Eric Johansson played from the start.
A move that worked, as did the substitution of goalkeeper Bellahcene for Mrkva during the second half. The Frenchman became the second match winner alongside Duvnjak for the “Zebras”. With a series of strong saves, he unnerved the Berliners when they were close to equalizing on several occasions.
Wednesday revenge against Aalborg?
And so the previously restless Jicha was able to calm down a little with great relief, even if he immediately looked forward again after the feat of strength: “We have to get up, everything will hurt my boys. But that’s how it has to be, and then Let’s start the hunt for more consistency again.”
This will be needed – especially after last week’s bitter experience – especially against Aalborg.
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Sports club | November 19, 2023 | 14:00 clock
