The German champion Rhein-Neckar Löwen has regained the lead in the Handball Bundesliga.
The Mannheim team won 35:24 (17:13) at GWD Minden and are leading with 36:6 points ahead of the Füchsen Berlin (36:8) and the surprise team TSV Hannover-Burgdorf (35:9). The lions also played one game less.
Record champion THW Kiel has also not yet given up hope of a Champions League place. After two consecutive defeats, Marko Vujin scored a seven-metre goal against MT Melsungen 32:31 (20:16) four seconds before the end of the match. Kiel (31:15) is four points behind third place.
The Foxes of Berlin advanced to second place thanks to a 25:22 (15:12) victory over former champion TBV Lemgo. SC Magdeburg narrowly won 32:31 (14:15) at the TBV Stuttgart.
The lions dominated the game at the table eleventh Minden at will. With a 7:2 run, coach Nikolaj Jacobsen’s team gained a calming advantage early on. Gudjon Sigurdsson with eleven goals was the best thrower from Mannheim, who apparently are on the verge of reactivating former Swedish star player Kim Ekdahl Du Rietz.
The players of the runner-up SG Flensburg-Handewitt took a forced break. The game against HSG Wetzlar had to be cancelled at short notice because of very bad weather conditions due to heavy snowfall. A safe journey for spectators and guests could not be guaranteed.