The SG Flensburg-Handewitt finished the first half of the DAIKIN HBL season with 27:7 points. On matchday 17, they recorded a 33:29 victory over Rhein-Neckar Löwen. The sound bites.
Aleš Pajović, SG Coach: "We slept through the first 20 minutes. The defense was always at the back. That meant we missed the easy goals. The Rhein-Neckar Löwen covered wide and isolated well. They play a very good 6:0 defense. Towards the end of the first half, our defense supported Benjamin Burić better. That's how we fought our way back. It showed once again how important a goalkeeper is in handball. When we were two or three goals ahead, it became difficult for the Lions. Simon Pytlick twisted his ankle, Lasse Møller has problems with his shoulder - I hope there will be good news for both of them these days.
Maik Machulla, Head Coach Rhein-Neckar Löwen: "It was a deserved home win. We didn't manage to keep up the pace and activity for 60 minutes. We lost the thread a little at the end of the first half. We deserved more than 15:15 at the break. We came out of the locker room poorly and made numerous technical mistakes. It was actually difficult to come back. Nevertheless, the momentum was on our side at 22:23. We covered very passionately. But then Benjamin Burić came on and closed his box - that decided the game. With some exceptions, it was a good away game for us. But in Flensburg, we have to be fit for 60 minutes and not just 40. The SG are a top team with an outstanding Simon Pytlick. He's so dynamic and always makes the right decisions."
Johannes Golla, SG captain: "We got into the game badly. We had no grip in defense and didn't create chances well. We initially lacked the good actions to get into the game. Benko was then there and got us into the game and also kept our backs free in the second half. It always feels particularly good when you score the easy goals. The game wasn't always pretty to watch, but the win was very important. The two points in the top game against Berlin would not have done us much good if we had dropped two points now."