SC Magdeburg handball cup winners against Melsungen

“Sergey, Sergey!” The Magdeburg fans in the Cologne Arena celebrated their goalkeeper. As in the semi-finals, Sergey Hernandez was his team’s outstanding player; The 16 saves on Saturday were followed by 17 the following day – it was also thanks to him that SC Magdeburg pulled away from MT Melsungen in the final of the men’s handball cup from the 40th minute onwards and achieved a 30:19 victory , which took on intoxicating traits.

Once again, the SCM wore down an opponent in a big final by tirelessly doing the same thing, approaching every duel like the last. At the end, some magical passes from Gisli Kristjansson enchanted the fans in red and green, which were refined by the accurate left winger Lukas Mertens (seven goals).

“I don’t feel any pressure”

For the third time, the club from Saxony-Anhalt can call themselves DHB Cup winners. Coach Bennet Wiegert has come full circle, as he steered his club back into the ranks of the big boys by winning the 2016 cup. It was already certain before the final that Sergey Hernandez, the 28-year-old Spaniard, would play a special role.

Due to the suspension following suspicion of doping against his colleague Nikola Portner, Hernandez was the remaining keeper of the appropriate caliber. “I don’t feel any pressure,” he said after the semi-final win against Füchse Berlin. On Sunday he enjoyed his unique selling point from the first minute.

The brave Melsungers were initially tough opponents. Offensive defense, in attack with a seventh field player for the goalkeeper, is how the North Hesse team had dismantled SG Flensburg-Handewitt the day before. Coach Roberto Parrondo’s recipe worked again until halftime (11:13) and for a few minutes afterwards.

Then the strength dwindled: Magdeburg scored into the empty goal and with a counterattack, and had the strength at the back, led by Christian O’Sullivan, for every duel. Whatever got through, Hernandez held. From 21:17 (41st) it quickly went to 25:17 (49th) for the now “filleted” Melsunger.

Frank Heike, Hamburg Published/Updated: Recommendations: 4 Frank Heike Published/Updated: Recommendations: 2 Frank Heike Published/Updated:

In the unrest surrounding the suspended Portner, the team kept its nerve and played to its strengths again after defeats in the cup finals in 2022 (Kiel) and 2023 (Löwen). The fight for the trophies in the Bundesliga and Champions League will begin on Friday in Flensburg and then in the quarter-finals against Kielce at the end of April. Then the SCM will again have to rely on such solos from Sergey Hernandez.