Yoon’s strong nerves

It was a match to remember. One could feel the enthusiasm in Campushalle of Flensburg already before the match when Thomas Mogensen was awarded “2007 Player of the Year of Denmark” and the Euro 2008 medallists of the two clubs were honoured.

After this beginning, the 60 minutes brought a “real intensive CL game” as HSV coach, Martin Schwalb, put it. In fact, after the 33:33 (17:13) between SG Flensburg-Handewitt and HSV Hamburg, many shared this opinion.

Flensburg had to do without both of their line players also without their usual central block. Johnny Jensen was seated in suit on the stands of Campushalle, Michael Knudsen had to quit injured already after three minutes.

The only 21-year old Jacob Heinl had to fill the gap. “An accolade for him,” said SG coach Kent-Harry Andersson. “It is not easy to play instead of a third division side against a European top team.”

Despite the missing stars, SG remained in the game. Only at 6:8 there was a fear that they might lose the match, but than Marcin Lijewski and Kasper Nielsen scored – with one man down.

“We were naive to receive these goals,” said a nervous HSV coach, Martin Schwalb. “We lost the pace in this phase.”

The “Hölle Nord” of Flensburg celebrated a 17:13 lead in the break and it was 30:24 already in the 50th minute.

In the following period the Flensburg players made many technical mistakes. 18 seconds before the end Blazenko Lackovic lost the ball. At the end of the counter attack Stefan Schröder was stopped at the cost of a 7-m shot.

Dan Beutler was facing Kyung-Shin Yoon: the Korean had strong nerves and scored to much of the joy of the 600 Hamburg fans. The game ended 33:33.

“A match lasts 60 minutes,” said Flensburg’s club manager, Fynn Holpert. “However, the first 50 minutes when we outplayed HSV can give us confidence fort he return game.”