Hever since Niklas Landin was modesty personified. He put the ratio of saves to goals from the Berlin wing positions at “50:50” – the 34-year-old goalkeeper from THW Kiel had nailed his case shut in the second half in such a way that one could feel sorry for the wingers. “I was a little annoyed because I knew how they throw but still hit them,” Landin said, laughing himself.
He would certainly prefer to play “to zero” – which is only theoretically possible in handball. On Sunday afternoon, the Danish goalkeeper once again approached his best performance when he saved 23 balls in Kiel’s 36:29 (17:15) against Füchse Berlin. His league best? “Hm, I don’t know,” Landin replied with a grin, “I made more saves in a game in Balingen once.” To know his career highlights, you have to be Landin himself.
“We were doomed to win”
Despite many good chances that his team created, Berlin coach Jaron Siewert was only able to speak the uncomfortable truth at the press conference: “I’m not the first and I’m not the last coach to sit here and say: We’re up to Niklas Landin failed.” Landin is leaving Kiel after this season.
His great performance in front of 10,250 fans secured THW a well-deserved success in a gripping top game, which ensures the best prospects in the title fight: After minus points, the Kielers are already the leaders in the table ahead of the foxes; With home games against Magdeburg and Flensburg still to come, they sense a great opportunity to win the most exciting title race in a long time.
Defense chief Hendrik Pekeler said: “We were doomed to win and we withstood the pressure. The top of the league can be shaken up on any matchday, but we have good chances with our home games.” Coach Filip Jicha agreed: “If you are in the situation in March and have everything under control yourself, then you are where you are wanted to be ahead of the season at this point.”
“36 goals is a huge achievement”
The clear victory on Sunday afternoon was a successful answer to the 26:34 in the first leg. Understandably, Jicha didn’t just want to see the reason for the success in Landin’s work: “Berlin came as an absolute top team. 36 goals is a huge achievement.” He played his part in that.
His seven played variably, was a goal threat from all positions, did not rely solely on throwing power from the backcourt, where a Kiel vacancy had recently been – such as in the embarrassing 31:34 against SC DHfK Leipzig before the international break, which put a considerable damper on THW and made the team look battered. “Attacking efficiency was our biggest problem recently, that sort of eliminated our ease,” said Jicha about the performances before the Berlin Gala.
But Kiel wouldn’t be Kiel if there wasn’t a switch that Jicha knows how to flip to get his team back on track. First the international break at the beginning of March, then a clear victory in Melsungen, followed by 41:28 at Dinamo Bucharest on Wednesday – it was like a liberation that led to the Foxes Gala. “It was just fun today,” said Hendrik Pekeler.
The question is whether Jicha, with his high work ethic and the attitude to demand everything in every training session, overwhelms his team in places. Director Miha Zarabec spoke of a certain “emptiness” to the “Kieler Nachrichten”. Tapping into the full potential of every game is a challenge for every professional handball player. This is the basic requirement for the record champions.
Zarabec said: “To become champions, we have to show everything. We sat down after Leipzig, talked, and now I can see in every training session that we’re showing everything.” For the competition, that must sound like a threat, and the win against Berlin was a show of power – which ultimately fell mainly on Niklas Landin was due.
