SC Magdeburg: First defeat after 53 games in Kiel

Bennet Wiegert enjoys a reputation as a serious expert in the handball cosmos. As expected, the coach of the Champions League winners countered the assessment of the expert Stefan Kretzschmar, who can also be assumed to have specialist knowledge, that SC Magdeburg is almost unbeatable as the outstanding league leaders in the Bundesliga. Wiegert thanked you for the flowers, but said: “I have never experienced the unbeatable product in sport, so I don’t believe in it.” Would you like an example? The 44-year-old said he recently watched the documentary “Miracle: The Ice Hockey Miracle of 1980.” “Back then, no one thought that the USSR could lose in ice hockey. Nevertheless, the USA college team became Olympic champions,” said Wiegert. “So I don’t bother with it.”

The Magdeburgers managed to restart after the three-week, exhausting European Championships in Denmark, Sweden and Norway with a 33:29 away win against third-placed Lemgo. Now, however, on Sunday the former series champion THW Kiel experienced their first defeat since a whopping 53 unbeaten competitive games, across seasons and competitions. From Saxony-Anhalt’s point of view, the 29:31 score was avoidable. Only the excess of chances prevented a better result, as Gisli Kristjansson noted afterwards: “We have to lead higher in the first half and leave far too many open chances,” said the Icelander: “We work for it well, but then we don’t score against an outstanding Perez de Vargas. When we then lose our defense, it becomes difficult in a hall like that.”

In fact, the Spanish national goalkeeper from THW Kiel, who, unlike his compatriot on the other side, Sergey Hernandez, was not in action at the European Championships, was particularly hard on the Magdeburg shooters. With an equally strong performance, Hernandez kept his team in front and always within striking distance after the break until the half-time lead was 12:10, but eight minutes before the end the Kiel team pulled ahead by four goals (27:23). The Magdeburg camp didn’t want to hear anything about overloading after the strenuous European Championship tournament; the professionals were used to the three-day rhythm.

A defeat after 331 days? “The world won’t end because of this,” says Wiegert

And this despite the fact that the majority of the SCM professionals played key roles in the respective national teams, especially the Magdeburg backcourt axis: the Icelanders Kristjansson and Omar Ingi Magnusson as well as the Swede Felix Claar were key players at the European Championships. However, Wiegert would have preferred not to confirm his assessment, as he let it be known: “Of course we would have liked it to be different, but the fact that a team goes through the season without a defeat is now almost unthinkable given the high level of performance in the league.”

Of all people, Kiel had a flawless season 14 years ago with 68:0 points and winning the championship, DHB Cup and Champions League. A feat that will probably remain unique, achieved with a team that read like a world selection: Thierry Omeyer in goal, Aaron Palmarsson, Filip Jicha or Daniel Narcisse in the backcourt, Marcus Ahlm at the circle, Dominik Klein and Tobias Reichmann on the outside. The team was led by today’s German national coach: Alfred Gislason.

The Magdeburgers were most likely to be capable of such a series. They had gone an incredible 331 days without defeat, only drawing twice during this time. The issue has now been settled, which at least saves SCM coach Wiegert the constant questions after the first defeat. In addition, competitors such as champion Füchse Berlin around world handball player Mathias Gidsel, SG Flensburg-Handewitt, Gummersbach or Kiel are far too strong and are always in a position to hurt the Magdeburgers on a good day. For that reason alone, he sees the only defeat of the season so far as evidence of the enormous strength in the Bundesliga, which “will not end the world,” as Wiegert noted.

And which had a pleasant side effect for the handball teacher: Wiegert often lets his beard sprout after victories, which is why his facial hair has grown quite a lot in the past few months. Now he can trim them again.

Nevertheless, in recent years the SCM coach has put together such a strong ensemble that is finely balanced in every position that it will actually be difficult to wrest the championship title from SC Magdeburg. The lead over Berlin, second in the table, is six points. The Magdeburgers are unbeaten in the Champions League after ten match days, with their 22:21 away win in Barcelona particularly notable. The Danish top club GOG Handbold will be playing in the premier class on Wednesday, and for Magdeburg it is the opportunity to make up for the mishap in Kiel in front of their own team. And the speculation about one’s own strength is rekindled.