In the last Europa League match of the season, IK Sävehof secured an impressive victory. Despite a ten-goal loss in the overall two-leg encounter, they managed to defeat the German powerhouse SG Flensburg-Handewitt 29-28 in a packed away arena.
To progress in the European League, a victory by a larger margin than the eleven-goal lead Flensburg held from the previous week’s match in Partille was required. Despite the task being deemed “impossible,” the minimal chance was further strengthened after a strong start from Sävehof. With two consecutive penalty goals from Tobias Johansson, they led 2–0, quickly extending it to 4–1 within the first five minutes.
During large parts of the match, Sävehof maintained their lead.However, with just over ten minutes remaining, Simon Pytlick equalized to 21–21 and then took the lead for Flensburg. Johannes Golla extended the lead to 23–21, and the home crowd felt victory was near.
Nevertheless, Sävehof never gave up. Goals from Alexander Westby and William Andersson Moberg once again leveled the score to 24–24 before they took a new two-goal lead. The Germans never managed to fully recover. Every time they reduced the deficit, Sävehof responded with a new goal. In the end, only one goal separated the teams, and the match-winning goal came from Emil Berlin as the match ended 29–28.
In total, there was a ten-goal difference between the teams over the two quarter-final matches, considering Flensburg won the first encounter 41-30. Sävehof’s Europa League adventure is over for the season, but they conclude with their heads held high. They are the only team to have defeated Flensburg on their home turf in the European League this season.
Final score: SG Flensburg-Handewitt–IK Sävehof 28–29 (11–15)