THW Kiel has taken a big step towards direct quarter-final qualification in the Champions League. The handball record champion defeated the North Macedonian title holder HC Pelister Bitola with 29:23 (19:10) and now has the best prospects of taking one of the first two places in Group A, which entitles them to advance to the last eight.
The Schleswig-Holsteiners maintained their top position on Thursday evening thanks to their success against the pointless bottom of the table, which was never in jeopardy. In the remaining two group games against SC Pick Szeged (February 28th) and RK Zagreb (March 6th), a win is enough for the “Zebras” to make it into the quarter-finals. The Kiel team, where Elias Ellefsen á Skipagötu was the most successful scorer with eight goals, has already secured qualification for the round of 16.
“We had a few weaker phases. But in the end we are just happy to have got the two compulsory points,” said left winger Rune Dahmke in an NDR interview.
THW was highly superior from the start
Unlike the first duel between the two teams last September, when the THW struggled to a 23:20 win away from home, the THW dominated the action almost at will from the start in front of their home crowd. Coach Filip Jicha’s team repeatedly managed to break up the guests’ poorly coordinated and slow defense. The result was a lot of easy goals. And because Bitola was unable to pose serious problems for Kiel’s defense, the “Zebras” took a ten-goal lead after just 24 minutes (17:7).
The many students who came to the Ostseehalle for the “THW Students Night” at a reduced entrance fee saw how the North Macedonians received a free lesson in modern handball. However, given Kiel’s clear superiority, there was no great atmosphere in the stands.
THW Kiel – RK Eurofarm Pelister 29:23 (19:10)
Goals THW Kiel: a Skipagötu (8), Gurbindo Martinez (4), Bilyk (3), Ekberg (3/2 penalty), Dahmke (2), Wallinius (2), Wiencek (2), Bellahcene (1), Duvnjak (1), Landin (1), Pekeler (1), Reinkind (1)
HC Pelister Bitola: Radivojevic (6/4), Peshevski (4), Cehte (3), F.Kuzmanovski (3), C.Kuzmanovski (2), Manaskov (2), Gjorgovski (1), Piechowski (1), Tankoski (1)
Kiel after half time voltage drop
After the break, the spectators saw a more even game. However, this circumstance was not due to an explosion in performance from the guests, but rather to the somewhat more restrained and unfocused performance of the Jicha team. “We were no longer quite as aggressive and agile in defense. That was clearly our highlight in the first half, and you could really tell that the Macedonians were a bit desperate. They then got off to a very effective start at the beginning of the second half “We were a bit out of breath. But in the end we win it confidently, even though we would of course have liked to have won higher,” said Dahmke.
Kiel’s lead temporarily dwindled to five goals (22:17/42.). But then Dahmke and twice Niclas Ekberg (each from seven meters) gave Kiel a 3-0 run to make it 25:17 (50th), which finally decided the match. Nevertheless, Bitola’s handball players were able to leave the Ostseehalle after the final siren with their heads held high. In the second 30 minutes, the bottom team showed a performance worthy of the Champions League, unlike in the first half.
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NDR 2 Sport | 02/22/2024 | 11:03 p.m
