Thanks to a race to catch up, the Rhein-Neckar Lions have maintained their championship opportunity and finished the winning streak of THW Kiel. In the top match of the Handball Bundesliga Mannheimer transformed a seven-goal deficit against the record champions still in a 26:25 (10:13) success.
National team captain Uwe Gensheimer was the top scorer with eight goals. The most successful THW launcher was Domagoj Duvnjak with seven goals. The Kiel remain despite the first defeat after six wins successively in the table second, the lion improved for the time being in fifth place.
"That's a huge feeling," said in the second round outstanding lion-keeper Mikael Appelgren. The Kiel, however, puzzled after their break-in in the second half. "We can not look for excuses, it was only up to us today," said Hendrik Pekeler.
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Goalkeeper Mikael Appelgren (below): Outstanding
The lions were already 6:13 behind after 20 minutes. Towards the end of the first round, coach Kristjan Andresson's side became stronger, thanks in part to goalkeeper Appelgren. The THW was evidently also impressed by the heated atmosphere in the 13,200 crowd sold out arena. "The mood was amazing," said Leo-Right Wing Patrick Groetzki. "It would be nice if we had such an atmosphere at every home game."
In the initial phase of the record champion had shown the lions in part, it looked like a debacle for the hosts from. Although the lions came then step by step, but Kiel went with a three-goal lead in the cabin.
When Kiel's Pekeler Löwen-Spielmacher Schmid fouled 30 seconds before the end, Gensheimer did not miss the opportunity and brought his team with a penalty of 26:25 in the lead. The final appearance but belonged Keeper Appelgren: Seconds before the end, he parried a force by Duvnjak and saved the lion with the victory.
