HSV ends Kiel’s hopes thanks to a Duvnjak birthday gala and reach final for the first time

Semi-Final 2: THW Kiel 33:39 (16:19) HSV Hamburg

Defending champions THW Kiel have missed the final of the VELUX EHF FINAL4. The “Zebras” lost the All-German semi against HSV Hamburg 39:33 in an unexpected clear defeat. HSV are now in the final of the VELUX EHF Champions League for the first time in their club history and will face FC Barcelona Intersport on Sunday (2 June) at 18:00 hrs (local time).

It is the biggest success in the history of HSV Hamburg and their handball side and the first time in their fourth attempt that they have reached the final of the VELUX EHF Champions League. After being eliminated three times by Ciudad Real (Spain) in 2008, 2009 and 2011, the team of coach Martin Schwalb now thrased defending champions THW Kiel in Cologne.

After two defeats in this German Bundesliga season HSV finally got their revenge against Kiel and THW will now miss the chance to win their second triple as they prepare to face KS Vive Targi Kielce on Sunday in the 3-4 placement match.

Barcelona and Hamburg have never played each other in an international match – and it is right that the premiere will be in the final of the biggest club handball event in the world.

To beat THW Kiel in the semi-final attended by 19,750 frenetic spectators clearly was a deserved result for Hamburg. The eleven goals of Domagoj Duvnjak (in only 13 attempts) were the keys to success, but the whole team performance was much better than the THW.

Defending champions THW Kiel caused a surprisingly high number of individual mistakes in attack before the break. After an equal start, imprinted by tough defence actions, both teams accelerated. When Kiel led 5:3, HSV coach Martin Schwalb took a time-out and made some changes in his team.

And from that moment on the game changed completely. With a 6:2 scoring series Hamburg took the lead and even as Kiel were again away by 10:9 Hamburg were in full control. As Kiel’s experienced players made several unforced errors, HSV took the profit to extend their margin to six goals at 19:13 in a match full of speed and goals. Kiel had become nervous after this 10:3 series of their German opponent, who was backed by the saves of goalkeeper Johannes Bitter and a brilliant attacking performance of Domagoj Duvnjak, who scored six of his eleven goals before the break.

Two late goals before the final buzzer reduced the gap at the break, but Kiel did not manage to turn the match around in the opening period of the second half. Hamburg still stood strong in defence and clashed the defending champions with their back court hammers.

THW – backed by several thousand vociferous spectators in the LANXESS arena, changed their goalkeeper from Thierry Omeyer to Andreas Palicka in the 35th minute when they were down 23:19, but nothing changed and Omeyer returned seven minutes later.

Hamburg’s scoring efficiency from all positions was much higher, though Kiel also changed their defensive tactics.  And when a double strike from the VELUX EHF Champions League top scorer Hans Lindberg extended the gap to six goals at 28:22 again, THW coach Alfred Gislason stepped into the emergency break, taking his second time-out in minute 41.

The one player who understood Gislason’s words best was right back Marco Vujin, who scored like a machine, keeping the THW hopes alive. His ninth individual goal was to make it 26:30 in the 48th minute and HSV coach Schwalb also gave his team a minute to breath and to re-concentrate. Vujin’s tenth strike made it 27:31 with nine minutes still on the clock.

Still Hamburg were in lead mostly by three or four goals, but missed an earlier decision, when Lindberg failed from the penalty line five minutes before the end. Instead of 35:30 it was a 34:31, as on the other side Daniel Narcisse hit the net.

But then it was Croatian sniper Duvnjak, who, playing on his 25th birthday, made his team mates jump for joy. Striking for the tenth time for 36:31 he decided the match and clashed the hopes of THW to defend their title.

All photos from the game can be found here.