Madsen’s 12 strikes secure bronze medal for Kiel

3/4 PLACEMENT MATCH

THW Kiel (GER) vs MT Melsungen (GER) 37:31 (18:18)

• the first half was full-speed handball with 36 goals, almost no defence and goalkeeping and a deserved draw
• netting for 10:10, Melsungen’s Ian Barrufet became the top scorer of the EHF European League season. He finished with 81 goals in total
• right after the break, Kiel managed to pull ahead to 25:21 with a 5:0 run, as goalkeeper Andreas Wolff made some saves, despite a red card for Petter Øverby after a foul against Nikolaj Enderleit
• in the 45th minute Barrufet also had to leave the court after being handed a red card for foul against Emil Madsen, as the match turned into an high-intensity clash
• following five goals in the first half, Madsen finally became the Zebras’ hero with 12 goals

Intense battle, full speed, spectacular goals

Usually, the fight for a bronze medal at a final weekend includes two tired and disappointed teams, but not at the Maschinensucher EHF Finals 2025 in Hamburg. Both sides showed the full will to win and both wanted to make their fans in the Barclays Arena happy after the unlucky defeats on Saturday.

Mainly in the first half, Kiel and Melsungen were out for goals, not thinking that much about tactical concepts or defence strategies. The 12,000 fans in the Barclays Arena saw impressive goals, incredible speed and many young players proving their place, such as Florian Drosten (Melsungen) and Linus Kutz (Kiel).

And finally, even the goalkeepers made their mark: Andreas Wolf for Kiel and 44-year-old Carsten Lichtlein between the MT posts.

But when it counted, it was Emil Madsen with his hammer goals. In the final minutes, Elias Ellefsen á Skipagøtu produced a series of mouthwatering, spectacular strikes, finishing the match on nine goals.

Photos © Kolektiff Images