Cool head in the heated burrow (nd current)

Jaron Siewert first had to collect himself. Shortly before he was supposed to answer the first questions about the defeat of his foxes against SC Magdeburg, the Berlin trainer shook himself vigorously and blew through. But the disappointment remained. “We made way too many mistakes,” he said. With this, the 27-year-old explained the fast and high deficit in the initial phase, which his handball players could no longer catch up. In the end, the Füchse lost the top game of the Bundesliga with 29:33 on Saturday.

Siewert’s analysis was absolutely accurate. But making use of mistakes or even provoking them requires a good opponent. There is currently no better than SC Magdeburg in the Bundesliga: With eleven wins from eleven games, the SCM is sovereign at the top. And when a team like that has someone like Omar Ingi Magnusson in its ranks, it’s very hard to beat. In Berlin, the 24-year-old Icelander showed why he became the best handball player in the Bundesliga within just one year.

After eight minutes, the SCM had already led 7: 3 – four Magdeburg goals were on Magnusson’s account. A good start is always important. The backcourt player proved his outstanding importance with the accurate left hand in the second round. After the SCM had already led by ten goals in the meantime, he lost his rhythm – and the Füchse shortened to 24:29 with four hits in a row in the 52nd minute. Then Magnusson took over the reins of action again: he got his team back on track with three actions that describe his diverse abilities. With a strong individual action against two Berliners, he broke the spell, after another goal of his own and a wonderful pass by Magnussons to the district, Magdeburg led again with six goals – the game was decided.

In addition to irresistible assertiveness, it took more than just athletic ability to decide such a game on this evening in the Berlin Fuchsbau: a cool head. Because the atmosphere in front of 7200 spectators in the Max-Schmeling-Halle was very heated. She was also fueled by the sports director of Füchse Berlin, Stefan Kretzschmar, who had spoken of a “deep dislike” of both clubs before the “Eastern Derby”. The not always sovereign referee duo with Hanspeter Brodbeck and Simon Reich also contributed to the fact that the rivalry on the field, the benches and the grandstands was sometimes wild and mostly very loud. It became unfair when the hall speaker tried to create a mood in the 40th minute. “This foul remains unpunished,” he shouted after Nils Lichtlein from Berlin had to be carried out of the hall with a ligament injury.

The exertions of the game and the nerve-wracking final phase could also be seen in the guest coach. “I’m super happy to have won here,” said Magdeburg’s Bennet Wiegert. The cool head of his team played a large part in this: Omar Ingi Magnusson. He was the most successful with nine goals. His attacking game with a hit rate of 90 percent was outstanding – he hit from a circle, with long-range throws and after quick counter attacks. With 74 goals he is currently the best goal hunter in the Bundesliga, with 274 he was already last season. Because the Icelander in the half-right position also works excellently in the overall very stable SCM defense, he is an almost complete player. That is why they have been relieved in Magdeburg since the summer when Magnusson extended his contract until 2026.

The mood in Berlin changed completely within a few days. The Füchse are still second in the table with 17: 5 points, but the disappointment after two defeats in two top games against Flensburg and Magdeburg is deep. “First we have to work through what happened this week,” said Stefan Kretzschmar. And that’s not a little. In addition to the many mistakes in the offensive game, the defensive behavior was also insufficient. The gaps were way too big, especially in the half positions. Kretzschmar also criticized the goalkeeping performance. His attempt to look ahead optimistically sounded quite forced: “I believe in the quality of the players.”