Sparkling derby sees Kiel earn important win

A loss in the huge derby against Flensburg would have seen Kiel losing contact with their German counterparts in the rankings.

But a very motivated Kiel side dominated throughout the second half and managed to pick themselves up after Flensburg tied the result.

• Hampus Wanne and Christian Dissinger were the two teams’ top scorers, each with seven goals
• Flensburg will have to beat PSG in the next round if they are to contest for the top place
• This match was the highest scoring in the last nine games between the sides

GROUP B

SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) vs THW Kiel (GER) 30:33 (15:16)

The hosts are still second in the rankings, two points ahead are PSG who they play next, while Kiel are fourth, now only three points behind their archrivals, and with improved chances for progressing to the next phase.



A derby can erase any deficit in the rankings or any difference in value between two sides at any given time.

While Flensburg may have had the upper hand this season against Kiel, the “Zebras” managed one of their best games in 2017 and erased all the prejudice which may have come beforehand, taking a superb win against their biggest rivals.

Moreover, the game showed that no game could be compared to the other, as the two sides clashed in Kiel in October in a 20:20 stalemate.

But this time, the handball was a free-flowing, fast-paced piece of art, with both sides taking risks and scoring at free will.

Back and forth for Kiel

While Kiel enjoyed a better start, it soon became apparent that goalkeeper Kevin Moller was in fine form for Flensburg.

A 6:2 run between the 8th and the 16th minute saw Flensburg take a commanding 10:7 lead, as the hosts looked the better side.

However, a surprising performance by Christian Dissinger, Kiel’s left back, turned the game on its head.

The guests’ back line started producing easy goals and sooner rather than later Kiel were back on track.

Building upon their 16:15 lead at half-time, Kiel never lost the lead in the second half.

A fine performance from Hampus Wanne, Flensburg’s top scorer, was not enough for the hosts to achieve the comeback.

While the hosts managed to tie the game at 26:26 and 28:28, Dissinger, who scored seven goals, one less than what he managed in the first nine games of the season, propelled Kiel to an emphatic win, 33:30.