After three wins in a row, the handball players of THW Kiel have again suffered a defeat in the preliminary round of the Champions League.
The North Germans lost 33:36 (17:14) to the Hungarian champion Pick Szeged. With seven goals, Sander Sagosen was THW’s best thrower, who remains fourth in Group B with 12:12 points. Imanol Garciandia scored six goals for Szeged.
The injured right winger Niclas Ekberg and the sick left winger Rune Dahmke were missing from Kiel. Yannick Fraatz and Magnus Landin were solo entertainers on the wings. However, the limited squad options initially had no effect on the THW game. At 8:5 (15th minute), the German record champions were in the lead for the first time with three goals. Outnumbered, Hendrik Pekeler even increased the lead to 14:10 (24th) with a counterattack.
The hosts then had the better start of the second half. Former Bundesliga professional Borut Mackovsek equalized to 20:20 (37th), Bence Banhidi took the lead again at 29:28 (50th). Szeged scored better from the backcourt and thus presented the Kiel defense with major problems. THW coach Filip Jicha changed several times between Niklas Landin and Tomas Mrkva in the goalkeeper position. The momentum stayed with the Hungarians who delivered a deserved win over time.