The German handball champions SC Magdeburg returned to the Champions League with a hard-fought away win.
Coach Bennet Wiegert’s team won the start of the group phase at Dinamo Bucharest 30:28 (16:16). For 16 years Magdeburg had been missing in the premier class, this year the SCM is the second German representative in Europe’s elite class alongside THW Kiel.
Omar Ingi Magnusson was once again the most successful Magdeburg pitcher. The Icelander, most valuable player and top scorer of the past Bundesliga season, scored seven times. Nikola Portner impressed in goal with 15 saves.
The German record champions from Kiel had already started confidently on Wednesday. The THW prevailed against the Norwegian title holder Elverum Handball with 36:26. In Group B, Kiel will face defending champions FC Barcelona, last year’s finalist Lomza Industria Kielce with national goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, Aalborg Handbold with superstar Mikkel Hansen and Hungary’s champion Pick Szeged.
In his 25th appearance in the Champions League, the four-time champion is aiming to reach the Final Four, which takes place on June 17th and 18th, 2023 in Cologne. The next opponent next Wednesday is RK Celje from Slovenia.
Magdeburg are also hoping to make a comeback on the European stage after last year’s Club World Cup title. In the group, the 2002 champion meets Paris Saint-Germain and FC Porto, among others. Next Thursday the SCM receives the Croatian champions RK Zagreb.