Handball: Lions finish CL group phase with draws

The German handball champion Rhein-Neckar Löwen finished the Champions League group stage with a draw.

Coach Nikolaj Jacobsen’s side broke away from the French surprise team HBC Nantes with 30:30 (13:15). Even before the match, it was clear that the lions would finish Group A in fourth place.

In the round of the last sixteen, the Mannheimers may face the league rivals THW Kiel, who had won the match back then, as in the previous year. The North Germans would fall back to fifth place in a defeat on Sunday at the final round of PSG Handball in Paris, which would lead to a renewed duel with the lions. The Polish club KS Vive Targi Kielce would have to face the German championship winner if the THW were to win a point.

Not yet in action for the lions was the reactivated Swedish backroom player Kim Ekdahl du Rietz, who was signed up during the week until the end of the season.

The 29-year-old is not eligible to play until the knockout round. Jacobsen was also forced to do without his long-term injured Gedeon Guardiola, Momir Rnic, Max Trost and Kristian Bliznac.

The coach didn’t get his goalscorer Andy Schmid in second place until halftime, but he scored five goals to thank him for five throws.

In front of 2500 spectators at the sold-out Harres in St. Gallen. Leon-Rot, the hosts came into the match ten minutes later. The defence against the first outstanding goalkeeper Andreas Palicka became more stable, the attacking actions clearer. But weaknesses in the middle block as well as some technical mistakes finally led the hosts to the possible success.

Best thrower of the Rhine-Neckar lions was Jerry Tollbring with six goals, as Schmid also met Rafael Baena Gonzalez five times. For Nantes, Nicolas Claire (7) was the safest shooter, former Kiel world champion Dominik Klein scored a goal.