The German handball record champion THW Kiel has put itself in an excellent starting position for a place in the quarter-finals in the Champions League with a thumping victory.
Coach Filip Jicha’s team won the round of 16 first leg at Romanian champions Dinamo Bucharest 41:28 (19:11) and can already plan for the next round before the second leg next Wednesday (6:45 p.m. / DAZN).
In the Complexul Sportiv National Sala Polivalenta in the Romanian capital, Sander Sagosen, Eric Johansson and Miha Zarabec were the best throwers for Kiel with six goals each.
The North Germans finished the group stage in fourth place and thus missed direct qualification for the round of eight. A German quarter-finalist has already been determined in champions SC Magdeburg.
After a balanced initial phase, Kiel turned up the heat in the middle of the first half and gained a clear lead by the break. The record champions then extended the lead without any problems.
The THW thus gained self-confidence before the top Bundesliga game on Sunday against leaders Füchse Berlin (2:00 p.m. / Sky).