Handball: Big Point in Mannheim: THW wrestles lions

The German record champion THW Kiel has set his first Big Point of this Bundesliga season and won the top game with runner-up Rhein-Neckar Löwen. The North Germans prevailed on Saturday in Mannheim with 27:24 (11:12).

It was the sixth victory in a row for Kiel and the first against a title candidate after the defeats at champions SG Flensburg-Handewitt and SC Magdeburg.

“If we had also lost here, then everyone would have said that it was over,” said THW coach Alfred Gislason: “Talking about the title right now is nonsense, but this victory gives us a lot of self-confidence. We’ve been through difficult times.”

Kiel (16:4 points) consolidated the third place behind the top duo Flensburg (18:0) and Magdeburg (18:2), the Lions (13:3) are with two games less fifth.

THW coach Alfred Gislason had spoken of an “extremely important game” in view of the course of the season so far, and his team got off to a better start. In the third minute Kiel was 2:0 in front, but it should remain the only two-goal lead of the first half.

Both teams faced each other with concentrated defense work at eye level, after just 15 minutes of play it was just 4:4.

Shortly before the break, Löwen playmaker Andy Schmid took the cheered lead, but only Kiel came out of the cabin with momentum. With five goals in a row, Gislason’s team caused disillusionment in the Mannheimer Halle, led by Harald Reinkind, a former lion, the best scorer with six goals, it was enough to win in the end. Jannik Kohlbacher and Schmid (6 each) were the most successful throwers for the lions.