Handball – The Foxes Berlin play in the top of the world

If world handball players Mathias Gidsel takes twelve minutes to score his first goal, then extraordinary must have happened. An opponent with Olympic champions and current world champions from Denmark and a Norwegian giant in the squad – Aalborg Håndbold is anything but usual. “This accumulation of superstars,” said Stefan Kretzschmar after Aalborg’s commitment from Sander Sagosen in February, is now the team in Europe to beat. On Thursday the time had come: sports director Kretzschmar saw his foxes Berlin Siegen and Gidsel shine. On an intoxicating handball evening, they won the first leg in the quarter -finals of the Champions League with 37:29.

Four World Cup titles in a row and Olympic gold last summer in Paris: Denmark is the ultimate in men’s handball. However, because no club from the kingdom was able to win the title in the most important competition, Aalborg Håndbold committed himself to this goal. Four years ago, the Danes lost the final of the Champions League with 23:36 against FC Barcelona, ​​last year the same opponent was lost in the final with 30:31. With Sagosen it should finally succeed in 2025.

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Turning point and catch -up hunt

The first 20 minutes in front of 8,500 spectators in the Max Schmeling Hall showed the first 20 minutes in front of 8,500 spectators on Thursday evening. With consistent defense work and determined attacks, the Danes were able to pull away with six goals. From the Berlin point of view, the 7:13 was the turning point: Gidsel, almost taken out of the game by his Danish compatriots until then, rang the catch -up with his third goal. At halftime it was 14:15. In the second half hour, Gidsel then scored the remaining eight of his eleven goals in his irresistible way, was voted “Player of the Match” and then spoke of joys from an “incredible game”.

It seems that Aalborg had to move his big plans again with eight goals after the defeat. Not without resistance, but without a chance and therefore visibly resigned, they left Berlin towards home, where the second leg will kick off next Wednesday. “The most difficult was,” said two -time world handball player Niklas Landin to say goodbye, “Mathias Gidsel.”

The maximum

What does such a victory mean for the foxes and their highly acclaimed 26-year-old back room player? “The maximum,” said coach Jaron Siewert a first quick answer. His team, which he was “very proud”, couldn’t do more out of such a game. However, no Berliner was surprised by the performance shown. Defense hub and circular runner Mijailo Marsenic pushed the weakness in the initial phase to the nervousness and drew a very self -confident conclusion: “Each of us knows how good we are.”

Even before the game, manager Bob Hanning announced: “We win the Champions League.” On the one hand, this is amazing, after all, the foxes were last in a quarter -finals of the premier class 13 years ago. And Berlin is like Denmark: this competition has never been won. Even the championship title still lacks the foxes. Both now seem to be possible that confidence in one’s own strength has already developed the Bundesliga leader in this impressive season.

World handball players in the world club

Gidsel can confirm all of this. He felt the grown respect of the opponents on the field, he said full of satisfaction after the victory against Aalborg. In now in his third year in Berlin, he already sees the foxes as a “world club”. Now the big titles should be found. On the way there, the Dane sees itself as a domino: “If I have fell with me, other players may come here who want to be here.” He extended his contract in early February to 2029 – a clear sign of the world handball player and the foxes.

A look at the latest games of the Berliners is impressive: Aalborg, Hanover, Kiel, Hamburg, Kielce Magdeburg – won everything. In between a tie: 31:31 at the penultimate Erlangen. How can this be explained in the face of all the victories against big opponents? Jaron Siewert laughs on this question. And has a simple explanation: “We weren’t ready,” says the coach “ND” of a lack of energy after exhausting weeks, injured players and an opponent playing with all his might for relegation. It is not easier in the final sprint, neither in the championship fight nor in the Champions League. That is why Siewert warns of the second leg in Aalborg: “We have already seen everything in handball.”