Dhe class leader, record champion and cup defender failed in the semifinals of the German handball cup. Without the THW Kiel, the final for the 3.5 kilogram and 20,000 euro trophy will take place on Friday (5.30 p.m. on ARD and Sky) at the finals in Hamburg. In the final, TBV Lemgo Lippe and MT Melsungen face each other. Lemgo won the cup for the last time in 2002, Melsungen never. Kiel had lost against Lemgo with 28:29 (18:11), Melsungen prevailed against Hannover-Burgdorf with 26:24 (14:10).
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The first semi-final on Thursday in front of 1,600 fans in the Barclaycard Arena was downright sensational and has what it takes to become a classic in the video annals of German handball. The four-time Champions League winner led confidently with seven goals at halftime and threatened to shoot the Lemgoers down.
But what happened in the second round put the fans on the Kiel side in paralyzing horror and in the Lemgoer bend in ecstasy. “Kiel ruined us in the first half. In the second half we said: We want to have fun and see what happens, ”left winger Bjarki Mar Elisson tried to explain the unbelievable at Sky. The outsider caught up gate by gate. With every goal against the THW became more nervous. Especially in attack, the favorite made inexplicable mistakes.
“I am shocked”
When the ball hit the Lemgo goal, Peter Johannessen stood in the way. The Swedish goalkeeper of Ostwestfalen had a creamy day and showed 14 parades. His counterpart, world handball player Niklas Landin, only defused nine throws. A few seconds before the final whistle, Johannesson held a litter from Harald Reinkind and prevented overtime. The observers couldn’t believe their eyes. “I have no explanation. I’m not the only unsuspecting person in the hall ”, the former national player and Sky expert Stefan Kretzschmar assured helplessly and spoke of“ one of the biggest surprises in handball ”.
“Now I have to bring the boys down,” said Lemgo’s trainer Florian Kehrmann, who feared that his exuberantly dancing team would not regenerate and concentrate before the final. His announcement: “We’re not finished yet.” THW playmaker Domagoj Duvnjak, on the other hand, confessed meekly: “I’m shocked.”
The second encounter could not offer the drama. Melsungen and Hanover fought head-to-head. Nordhessen, eighth in the Bundesliga and thus a slight favorite against thirteenth Hannover-Burgdorf, led at halftime with four goals, but let the opponent come up again.
The game was characterized by a high level of physical effort. MT Melsungen received six two-minute penalties. But the Lower Saxony did not take advantage of that. They didn’t manage more than the interim compensation. Above all, national player Fabian Böhm owed a lot and also saw the red card (42nd).
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