SG Flensburg-Handewitt claimed their first EHF Champions League victory since November, after one draw and five defeats in their last six matches – but it was their sixth victory in eight matches against Szeged.
Despite an intermediate six-goal deficit, an early red card against Richard Bodo and the fact that their top scorer Bence Banhidi is still missing, Szeged stayed in contention ahead of the second leg.
PLAY-OFF:
SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) vs Pick Szeged (HUN) 25:21 (14:10)
- in the 16th minute, Szeged’s left back Richard Bodo was sent off with a direct red card after a foul against Göran Johannessen when Flensburg led 6:5
- after 6:6, Flensburg’s outstanding goalkeeper Benjamin Buric hit form and his saves provided the German side with 7:1 run for their biggest gap, 13:7
- in the first 15 minutes of the second half, Spaniard Imanol Garciandia was the key for Szeged’s comeback to 16:17. In total, he netted five times and has 48 season goals this season
- thanks to the late arrival of Gottfridsson, at around 50 minutes, Flensburg took the upper hand and extended the gap to five goals several times to claim a well-deserved victory
- Flensburg’s leading scorers were Hampus Wanne with five and Johannes Golla on four, while former SG player Bogdan Radivojevic only scored once for Szeged
- next week the teams face off in Hungary, with a quarterfinal against Barça on offer
Pick Szeged’s German nightmare
In 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2021, Pick Szeged were eliminated either in the Last 16 or the quarter-finals of the EHF Champions League and always by German club THW Kiel.
This season, the Hungarian champions remained unbeaten against THW with an away draw and a home victory, but on Wednesday they lost again, this time at Flensburg. The only exception was in 2014, when they enjoyed their biggest international success on German ground by winning the EHF Cup Final in Berlin – but against a French team, Montpellier.
