About 40 minutes of outstanding play, 20 minutes of finding their rhythm—SG Flensburg-Handewitt went through different phases but ultimately won convincingly, 38–30, against TBV Lemgo. Here are the quotes.
Aleš Pajović, SG Coach: “We had a few problems on offense early on and weren’t capitalizing on our defensive work, but then we found our rhythm with a lot of pace. We wanted to come out strong in the second half as well, but we gave the opponent another chance. When it’s tied after 40 minutes, you worry that it could go either way. We were patient on defense after that, and I can’t put it any other way: Benjamin Burić was simply outstanding. He and the fans pushed the team forward. Let’s see what else happens: The goal difference could also be important. Hopefully everyone comes back healthy from the international break.”
Florian Kehrmann, coach of TBV Lemgo Lippe: “Congratulations to the crowd, which made its presence felt time and again during crucial moments. That made things difficult for us, but it’s always fun to play here. Early on, we caused Flensburg problems with our defense and played patiently up front. Flensburg then came at us with a lot of pace, while we made a few mistakes. We fought our way back into the second half and also had a very strong goalkeeping performance. Suddenly, the score was tied after 40 minutes. Then we ran out of steam, and we missed too many open shots. I’m taking away a good performance from us—against a top-tier club that’s really in good form.”
Johannes Golla, SG Captain: “For over 60 minutes, we weren’t dominant, but we didn’t let anything slip. At the start of both halves, we lacked momentum, and our shots weren’t decisive enough. But we also showed the quality this team possesses. We still have everything in our own hands. From that perspective, it’s a bit of a shame that it’s now the national teams’ turn. Hopefully we’ll return with some momentum. With the away games in Magdeburg and Stuttgart, we’ve got a grueling schedule coming up.”
Lasse Møller, SG backcourt player: “Lemgo found some very good solutions at times, but overall we had the better offense and also the better defense. In the middle of the second half, we helped Benjamin Burić more. But he also made some saves that were all his own doing. Adin Faljić did a really good job on defense. That was an important win. From now on, every win is very important.”
Benjamin Burić, SG goalkeeper: “When the arena is full and the fans are cheering us on, it’s always easy to play with a lot of joy. We may not have been consistent throughout the entire game, but someone always has to give a little extra. This time, I was perhaps the one who had to communicate with the fans and show some special moves on the court. Those were two important points toward our goal: second place.”