Flensburg in flying form ahead of Buric brothers’ battle
They came into the season with humble ambitions and goals, but after six victories from six in the German Bundesliga and VELUX EHF Champions League combined, the sun is shining brightly on SG Flensburg-Handewitt.
Six key players, including outstanding goalkeeper duo Mattias Andersson and Kevin Möller, defensive ace Henrik Toft Hansen and playmaker Thomas Mogensen, left during the summer and were replaced by young, promising talents.
“This team will need some time to grow, we should not set the goals too high for the new season,” said coach Maik Machulla at the start of the campaign.
However, these newcomers proved from the get go their ability to fill the huge shoes left behind, with the likes of Norwegian left wing Magnus Jöndal and Danish line player Simon Hald impressing.
Two more arrivals who have grabbed plenty of attention since their arrival are 20-year-old German line player Johannes Golla and Bosnian goalkeeper Benjamin Buric.
Torbjörn Bergerud was expected by many to emerge as the first choice between the posts, but Buric impressed with sensational performances in the 26:25 Bundesliga victory against arch-rivals THW Kiel and the goal fest at Nantes in their first VELUX EHF Champions League match.
Buric stood firm in crunch time and was one of the match-winners with his 12 saves. The victory also helped the German champions erase memories of their last outing in this competition, last season’s 29:17 quarter-final loss in France against Montpellier.
At Nantes, who lost to Montpellier in last season’s final, Flensburg played exciting and efficient handball in attack and took a well-deserved 34:31 victory - a feat which no club, including Barcelona and Vardar, managed last season.
“We were so creative in attack, we had solutions for all situations; we were brilliant at times,” coach Maik Machulla said.
“It is impressive, how little time we needed to implement our new playing system with the new players,” added Norwegian Magnus Röd, Flensburg’s top scorer at Nantes with six goals.
“It is really fun to see those young players. One week ago, they had their baptism of fire against Kiel, now they had their first Champions League match and I was impressed with how they acted. Those performances really boost our hopes for the rest of the season,” said club manager Dierk Schmäschke.
He 2014 champions are straight back into action on Wednesday (19:00 hrs local time, live on ehfTV.com), with their first home outing against HC PPD Zagreb and the omens are on the German club’s side, having won nine of 12 duels between the sides, including all six on home court.
Despite the long tradition these clubs share, this match will be a first in the 26 years of the competition.
For the first time, two twin brothers will face each other in a match. Benjamin Buric in Flensburg’s goal and his brother Senjamin on the line for Zagreb.
“I do not know, who my parents will support in this duel. They are currently on holiday, but will definitely watch the match on TV,” Benjamin told German-Danish newspaper Flensborg Avis, adding: “I hope for many saves, many goals for my brother and maybe a draw, but of course I want to win.”
Never before have the Bosnian brothers faced off in a match. Until 2016, they had always been teammates, most recently at at Velenje in Slovenia.
Benjamin then made the move to German side HSG Wetzlar and became one of the Bundesliga’s best goalkeepers, while Senjamin transferred to Nantes for two seasons.
An ACL injury forced Senjamin out of the VELUX EHF FINAL4, before he transferred to record Croatian champions Zagreb, which is also his wife’s hometown. He has returned to full fitness and scored three goals in the 24:23 loss to Szeged at the weekend.
Benjamin Buric and the other Flensburg newcomers are clearly relishing the challenges of Europe and are looking forward to their opening home match on Wednesday: “Matches like these are a reason why you sign for Flensburg,” explains Magnus Jöndal.
TEXT:
Björn Pazen / cor