SG Flensburg-Handewitt hadn’t won at TBV Lemgo Lippe in five years—and then everything just clicked. Here’s what they had to say.
Aleš Pajović, SG Coach: “In the first half, we were very focused on defense. Lemgo played exactly as we’d expected. Benjamin Burić also made some great saves—and then the game went more smoothly than we’d thought. My team managed the pace well. When the lead narrowed to just five goals at one point in the second half, everyone stayed calm and kept pushing forward. In the end, we might have conceded two or three too many goals, but I’m still very satisfied.”
Benjamin Burić, SG Goalkeeper: “Every year we’d come to Lemgo and had a good routine going; now we’ve finally won. We played with control, were patient, had a really strong defense, and were efficient up front when it came to scoring chances. Right now, we’re in a phase where I’m not worried about our offense and where there’s a lot of potential on defense.”
Marko Grgić, SG backcourt player: “I’m very relieved and proud of the team. It’s a lot of fun to play with this team right now. We’re fighting hard and working well together with the goalkeepers on defense. We’re playing better now than ever since I’ve been with the SG.”
Samuel Zehnder, left wing, TBV Lemgo Lippe: “A defeat this lopsided really hurts. We thought we were playing well. We never built enough momentum to turn the game around and missed too many chances.”
Niclas Kirkeløkke, SG left-hander (at halftime): “Overall, we’re doing really well. We know we have a strong offense. It was important that we handled the seven-on-six situation well on defense by staying compact and keeping our patience.”