Handball drama in the Champions League final: Ultimately, the outstanding Wolff suffers

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Andreas Wolff after the defeat in the Champions League final

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Marius Becker / dpa

The game was over and Andreas Wolff was disappointed at the post. He had to be consoled by his teammates: the German keeper couldn't fulfill his dream of triumphing in the Champions League.

With Vive Kielce, the 31-year-old lost the dramatic final of the Final4 in Cologne against defending champions and record winners FC Barcelona 3:5 in a seven-meter throw.

After overtime it was 32:32 (28:28, 13:14).

The Catalans had already destroyed the title dreams of THW Kiel in the semifinals the day before.

With twelve saves and a defense rate of 27.9 percent, Wolff was one of the outstanding players on the field.

His opponent Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas was just as strong at Barcelona – he also made twelve saves (27.3 percent).

However, the Spanish goalkeeper was able to fend off an attempt in the decisive seven-meter throw.

The star squad from Barcelona started strong and quickly pulled away by three goals.

However, Kielce was not discouraged and equalized four minutes before half-time at 12:12.

After the change, the Spanish series champion lost his playful line a little and at 16:17 (36th) he took the lead again for the first time since 0:1.

Kielce threw all his physique into the close match and was able to continue to rely on Wolff on defense.

The Polish champions equalized three seconds before the end and saved themselves in extra time, which did not result in a decision.

Barça had the better end for themselves.

Kiel wins bronze

Meanwhile, the final tournament ended on a happy note for the people from Kiel.

Coach Filip Jicha's team secured the bronze medal in a thrilling small final against Telekom Veszprem with 37:35 (34:34, 14:18) after throwing seven meters.

Pride of a good season prevailed: "We can definitely be satisfied," said THW captain Domagoj Duvnjak.

jan/dpa/sid