The Champion's League competition is underway. - German handball duo out of top-tier competition
Initially, SC Magdeburg's ambition of achieving a quadruple was brought to an end. Then, THW Kiel's expectations of seizing their fifth victory in the King's Cup were squashed. The two prominent teams from Germany will only compete for the consolation prize at the tournament finale in Cologne this weekend at 3:00 p.m., airing on DAZN and Dyn.
The German champions and cup winners from Magdeburg failed to advance to the final on Saturday, as they faced a 26:28 (11:11) loss against the Danish Champions Aalborg HB in a nail-biting semifinal match. Subsequently, they underwent a 18:30 (9:15) defeat against the Spanish league champions FC Barcelona.
"This season has been fantastic for us. However, we couldn't play our best handball. We weren't on top form. it's painful," remarked SCM coach Bennet Wiegert about their loss against Aalborg.
The team members were also disheartened by the lack of a satisfying end to their journey. "I'm very upset and sad that we weren't better here. They played excellently because they have some of the best decision-makers in the world," said Magdeburg's circle defender Magnus Saugstrup.
Fellow player Gisli Kristjansson added to the sentiment: "We aimed for more this weekend, but we didn't possess the proper momentum in this encounter." The top scorer for SC Magdeburg was Omar Ingi Magnusson from Iceland, who scored ten goals during the season.
The first King's Cup clash between these two teams witnessed Magdeburg's limitations due to Aalborg's robust defense. Amidst the defense, the Bundesliga team faced a hard time bringing out their beloved tempo handball.
While Magdeburg encountered several hindrances, the Aalborg players took advantage of the situation. The game reached its pinnacle when the Danes gave the upper hand to their star players, Mikkel Hansen and Niklas Landin.
On the other hand, THW Kiel was exposed to a drastic rout by the King's Cup record holders, FC Barcelona. The team led by coach Filip Jicha, who only finished the Bundesliga season with a fourth-place finish, commenced with a sluggish start.
Not long after, THW was trailing with no shot at replicating the 2020 final, which the Bundesliga champions had claimed themselves. Although they shifted gears and scored consecutively to surpass the Spaniards for the first time, their efforts didn't last long.
The North Germans granted too many opportunities. Time and again, they fumbled in front of the mighty Barcelona goalkeeper, Emil Nielsen. The scoreline widened to four goals with 6:10. This gap affected Kiel, all the more, when Barcelona led by six goals before halftime.
Regardless of the player change, Kiel dismantled with careless play, ultimately resulting in a dismal defeat.
"Like in many games, our shooting percentage wasn't at its best," stated Jicha on DAZN. "When these aspects don't work, we often fall apart. It was clear against Barcelona that we required a better performance from each individual. Unfortunately, that didn't materialize for us," he concluded. The defense was also criticized.
Former national player Hendrik Pekeler shared his disappointment: "I'm incredibly devastated." We threw erratically, this is painful for me and our supporters who were present or watching on TV, to witness our inept play," he added.
