The Bundesliga is back in action after the World Championship break, but Saturday evening did not go as planned for SC Magdeburg. The reigning champions suffered a heavy defeat away against THW Kiel – while league leaders MT Melsungen extended their lead.
THW Kiel was the dominant side right from the start, and after just 20 minutes, the home team was leading 14–7. Eric Johansson, who like Sweden had a tough World Championship, made an immediate impact and scored three goals in the first 20 minutes. The gap widened further, and by halftime, Kiel was ahead 20–11.
In the second half, Magdeburg managed to close the gap slightly, but the visitors were never really close to threatening Kiel, and the final score was 31–25. The match was also Felix Claar’s first since the Achilles tendon injury that has kept him out for the entire season so far.
League leaders MT Melsungen won at home against Göppingen with a score of 30–23. Once again, the hero of the match was Nebojsa Simic, who finished with an impressive 47% save rate.
Melsungen now leads the league by four points ahead of Kiel. SC Magdeburg, after their defeat, is three points behind securing a European spot for next season, but the reigning champions have played two games fewer than SG Flensburg-Handewitt, who currently sit in fourth place.