Flensburg fails in the title race

The winning streak of the former German champions and Champions League winners SG Flensburg-Handewitt in the Handball Bundesliga (HBL) has broken.

Coach Maik Machulla’s team did not get better than 27:27 (14:13) at Frisch Auf Göppingen on the 23rd matchday and lost an important point after the last six successes in a row in the championship race.

With 33:11 points, the North Germans are now fifth in the table, four minus points behind leaders Füchse Berlin (39:7).

The SG did not live up to their role as favorites in the first German European Cup winner from the start. A game developed at eye level, neither team sat down.

Flensburg still had the chance to score the winning goal in the final minute with possession of the ball, but the Norwegian Magnus Röd made a technical error.

The best thrower of the game was Göppingen’s David Schmidt with eight goals, while Emil Jakobsen (7/4) and Röd (6) were the most successful scorers for the guests.

No Kiel victory at the end

After a 26:26 (12:11) at Elverum Handball, the German record champion THW Kiel finished the preliminary round of the Champions League in fourth place.

If they had won in Norway, the third-placed Bundesliga player would have passed HBC Nantes in third place, and the French also couldn’t get past 28:28 (15:13) at SC Pick Szeged.

The team of coach Filip Jicha failed again and again at the bottom of the table because of the outstanding Elverum goalkeeper Emil Imsgard.

With three goals each, Mykola Bilyk, Rune Dahmke, Niclas Ekberg, Yannick Fraatz and Sander Sagosen were the guests’ most successful throwers. Kiel has to go into the playoffs to get into the quarterfinals.

German Handball Award: Bölk and Knorr honored

Emily Bölk (Ferencvaros Budapest/Hungary) and Juri Knorr (Rhein-Neckar Löwen) have been awarded the German Handball Award 2022. The two national players received the most votes in the public vote initiated by “Handball-World” and “Bock auf Handball”, the award was given for the second time.

Almost 200,000 votes were cast in January for the twelve categories in which players, coaches and other handball personalities stood for election. A public favorite based on fan suggestions was also chosen. Here the choice fell on Gisli Kristjansson from SC Magdeburg.

The German champions won three times at the awards ceremony: The HBL champion triumphed in the “Team of the Year” category and Bennet Wiegert as “Coach of the Year” – just like at the premiere last year.

In addition, the national players Amelie Berger and Mia Zschocke, who had made allegations of psychological violence public in the fall, were honored as “Persons of the Year”, and Stefan Kretzschmar was also honored as “Influencer of the Year”. The “Referee Team of the Year” is the Magdeburg World Cup duo Robert Schulze/Tobias Tönnies. – All award winners at a glance:

German Handball Award – Men: Juri Knorr (Rhein-Neckar Löwen)

German Handball Award – Women: Emily Bölk (Ferencvaros Budapest/Hungary)

Surprise of the year: Eric Johansson (THW Kiel)

Young hope (born 2003 and younger): David More (Rhein-Neckar Löwen)

Beach handball player of the year: Nicola Rascher

Beach handball player of the year: Lucie Marie Kretzschmar

Team of the year: SC Magdeburg

Coach: Bennet Wiegert (SC Magdeburg)

Referee team: Robert Schulze/Tobias Tönnies

Handball influencer: Stefan Kretzschmar

Handball personality: Amelie Berger and Mia Zschocke

Crowd favorite: Gisli Kristjansson (SC Magdeburg)

Life’s work (jury): Carsten Lichtlein

Handball: Foxes continue impressive run

Bundesliga leaders Füchse Berlin have easily continued their impressive run on the international stage.

Coach Jaron Siewert’s team won the European League at Bidasoa Irun from Spain on Tuesday evening 40:32 (23:17) and celebrated their eighth win in eight games. The sovereign leaders in Group D had already secured their place in the next round in December.

The league competitors SG Flensburg-Handewitt and Frisch Auf Göppingen also celebrated victories. Flensburg, organizer of the final tournament on 27./28. May, won 29:21 (14:9) in France at Pays d’Aix UC and could celebrate with another success next Tuesday against Ystads IF from Sweden about the group victory.

Previously, Frisch Auf Göppingen had won 31:29 (15:18) against defending champions Benfica Lisbon. Göppingen is in second place in Group A and has already qualified for the knockout round.

Benfica, who defeated the German champions SC Magdeburg in the final after extra time last year, must continue to tremble for a place in the next round.

Handball: Shock for World Cup hosts: Gottfridsson breaks his hand

Serious setback for the title dreams of the World Cup hosts: Sweden’s handball players have to do without their thinker and driver Jim Gottfridsson for the rest of the tournament. The playmaker of the European champions and SG Flensburg-Handewitt broke his left hand in the quarterfinals against Egypt (26:22) and will be out for months. The World Cup semifinals in the Tele2 soccer arena against Germany’s conquerors France will take place on Friday (9 p.m./sportdeutschland.TV) without him.

“It’s terribly frustrating because I had the feeling that both I and the team have played a very good tournament so far,” said Gottfridsson. “I dreamed of playing a World Cup final at home.” The 30-year-old wrote on Instagram on Thursday night that he was “upset, sad and disappointed”.

The backcourt player, who was named Most Valuable Player when Sweden won the European Championship a year ago, suffered the injury just seven minutes into the Egypt game. “I think I got stuck in an opponent’s shirt,” said Gottfridsson. He had left the arena in Stockholm with a thick bandage. The devastating diagnosis followed in the hospital.

Gottfridsson’s injury also hit Flensburg hard. The fifth in the Bundesliga table will have to do without their top performers in the coming weeks.

Handball World Cup: Denmark solves last quarter-final ticket

Defending champion Denmark has secured the last quarter-final ticket at the Handball World Championship. At the end of the main round, the Scandinavians prevailed on Monday evening against Egypt, who had already qualified, by 30:25 (17:12).

This was Denmark’s 25th consecutive World Cup match unbeaten, equaling France’s record. National coach Nikolaj Jacobsen is still undefeated at World Cup finals.

Even a draw or a defeat with less than eleven goals would have been enough for the Danes to advance. Thanks to the success, the favorite for the title overtook the African champions, who had not lost points until then, and secured victory in the main round group 4. Hungary is now waiting for the defending champion in the quarter-finals.

At the World Cup in Poland and Sweden, Denmark is on a historic mission: After 2019 and 2021, the Jacobsen team could become the first country to take the crown of the handball world for the third time in a row.

Handball: Foxes Berlin consolidate top

Füchse Berlin remain flawless in handball in the European League.

The Bundesliga club won 29:28 (15:16) against the pursuers Skanderborg-Aarhus HB from Denmark. The foxes lost the Bundesliga table lead to THW Kiel at the weekend, but internationally they remain at the top without losing points.

The best thrower for the Berliners was old master Hans Lindberg (41) with eight goals.

Frisch Auf Göppingen was also able to take another big step towards the play-offs. The traditional club, threatened with relegation in the Bundesliga, won the Kadetten Schaffhausen 35:30 (17:17) and thus passed the Swiss champions in second place in Group A.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian series champions HC Motor Zaporizhschja celebrated their first win of the season on the international stage. The Ukrainians, who are guest starters in the 2nd Bundesliga due to the Russian war of aggression, defeated the Portuguese team Aguas Santas 30:24 (13:8) at their home ground in Düsseldorf.

Handball: Weinhold shock in Kiel

Severe setback for THW Kiel: The German handball record champion has to do without veteran Steffen Weinhold for several months.

The 36-year-old backcourt player suffered a partial tear of the rear cruciate ligament in his left knee during the Bundesliga game against VfL Gummersbach (31:28) on Saturday.

The ex-national player, European champion with the German team in 2016, does not have to be operated on, but according to THW information, he will be absent for around three months even if the healing process goes well.

Weinhold has been playing for Kiel since 2014, he has been German champion three times with the club and won the Champions League once.

Bergischer HC sign Danish Andersen

Handball Bundesliga club Bergischer HC has signed the former Danish junior international Mads Kjeldgaard Andersen for the 2023/24 season. The 25-year-old backcourt player comes from Bjerringbro-Silkeborg from Denmark’s elite class.

The BHC had previously signed backcourt all-rounder Eloy Morante Maldonado from TUSEM Essen for the coming season.