“I felt so sad, it was terrible, my dream of playing the EHF FINAL4 in Cologne, the final highlight of this season, was over,” said the centre back.
But then a miracle happened. Last week, Kristjansson made his comeback in the Bundesliga and has already played two matches; plus, he has been signed off as fit for Cologne, only four weeks after this shocking injury.
“I worked so hard in rehab, and when an X-ray proved that the bones are connected again, the doctors gave me the green light. I was so happy, as now I have the chance to be part of the EHF FINAL4. My dream came true through the back door, after I was really down to the floor,” Kristjansson says.
Magdeburg took a draw in Plock and then beat the Polish side in the second leg of the quarter-finals to make their debut at the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4, 21 years after winning the EHF Champions League as the first German club ever.
“To play for 20,000 fans will be an extra-kick for all of us. We have experienced this atmosphere in the LANXESS Arena already during the German cup final tournament, but I am sure it will be even better in the Champions League. But if you made it that far, you do not need any extra motivation,” believes Kristjansson.
Magdeburg will face mighty Barça in the first semi-final on Saturday (15:15 CEST, live on EHFTV). The defending champions are unbeaten in their last 25 EHF Champions League matches, but they were beaten twice by Magdeburg in the 2021 and 2022 IHF Super Globe finals.
“They are probably the best team in the world, but we know how to beat them. Though we are debutants, we do not travel to Cologne, just to be part of the event, but to win something. I want to make it to the final. And we all know that at Cologne everything can happen,” says the centre back.
For Kristjansson there is no specific Barça player to look out for.
“I could name Dika Mem, but in the end, this team has world class players in all positions, or even two. They are unbeaten in almost two years, this fact says it all, and I do not think I need to explain to someone how strong they are. To beat them, everything must fit 100 per cent, from goalkeeper to defence to counter-attacks and speed. In Cologne, everything is about being fully focussed on your task,” he adds.
