The Final Four in the European League in Flensburg will take place without the Bundesliga handball team SG Flensburg-Handewitt. The North Germans lost 27:35 (12:16) to SG Granollers from Spain in the second leg of the quarterfinals on Tuesday evening.
So coach Maik Machulla and his team suffered the next shock in front of only 2,718 spectators just two days after the Final Four in the DHB Cup, where they had only finished third. The title chance in the European League was lost after the 31:30 win in the first leg against the Spanish runners-up. So nothing will happen with a Final Four “to Hus” – the final round on May 27th and 28th in Flensburg will take place without the host. Unlike the North Germans, Füchse Berlin and Frisch Auf Göppingen were able to qualify for it.
“We threw it away.”
— SG-Profi Aaron Mensing
“It’s hard to find the right words,” said Flensburg’s backcourt player Aaron Mensing in an interview with NDR. “Coming out of the dressing room – the mood couldn’t be worse. I’m just empty. We worked so hard in training for eight months and now we’ve thrown it away.”
That means two chances for the title are gone. Only one remains – the one in the Bundesliga. And now of all times, after these two downfalls, the derby at the rival THW Kiel is coming up. On Sunday (2 p.m., live on NDR television), the Machulla team will be challenged again.
Flensburg erratic and with many mistakes
Against Granollers, it was immediately clear to the Flensburg team that the bitter semi-final defeat in the DHB Cup against the Rhein-Neckar Löwen was still having an impact. Apparently, the victory on Sunday in the game for third place in the Final Four in Cologne against TBV Lemgo Lippe couldn’t entirely help to get over this bitter experience. The North Germans acted erratically against the Iberians, lacking the necessary consistency. After seven minutes it was 1:3.
And in the period that followed, the hosts made numerous technical mistakes, some passes were just wild, and clear chances were missed – such as Jim Gottfridsson, who missed a free throw in the goal. When the score was 7:11 (20th), Machulla took a time-out. He talked soothingly to his insecure players, trying to encourage them. But success did not come. The gap grew to six goals (9:15, 27th). At the break, the Machulla team was “only” behind by four goals.
No catching up! SG is demonstrated in parts
Those SG fans who had hoped for a brilliant start after the restart were bitterly disappointed. Her team was quickly behind at 13:19 (34th). The North Germans also lacked support between the posts: Kevin Möller and Benjamin Buric only got a little hold of them. And whenever it seemed as if Flensburg could get closer to Granollers again, the next dropout followed: Johannes Golla failed at 16:20 with a free throw (38th). Then they conceded two goals and the deficit was six again (16:22).
SG Flensburg-Handewitt – BM Granollers/Spain 27:35 (12:16)
Goals Flensburg-Handewitt: Jakobsen (6/4), Mensing (5), Sögard Johannessen (4), Gottfridsson (3), Einarsson (2), Golla (2), Hald Jensen (2), Hansen (1), Mensah Larsen (1), Red (1)
Tower Granollers: Yusuf (10), Garcia Robledo (8), Reguard Massana (5), Franco i Miro (4), Salinas Munoz (4), Gurri Aregay (3), Torriani (1)
Viewers: 2.718
Nothing was going right that night. Flensburg was completely off the roll and was shown in parts. And so the game was lost early. Six and a half minutes before the final siren it was 21:33. The SG fans were shocked. In the end it was a 27:35 debacle. Flensburg only led once in the game – 1-0.
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NDR 2 Sports | 04/18/2023 | 11:03 p.m
