SG Flensburg-Handewitt maintained its perfect record in the Opel HBL. On Sunday evening, the team defeated HC Hamburg 37–34 (19–16). The SG’s top scorers were Aymeric Minne (10) and Emil Jakobsen (10/5).
As the whistle blew, the North Stand was already cheering: “Ole, ole, Super Flensburg!” The team, however, wasn’t at its best to start with and trailed 3–6 after ten minutes. Then Marko Grgić capped off a run of three goals, but it remained a hard-fought battle. The defense wasn’t quite stable yet. Simon Möller took over in goal after just 19 minutes and very quickly sparked cheers with his first saves. Blaž Blagotinšek moved into the center block. Kent Robin Tønnesen made his season debut after 24 minutes. Up front, Aymeric Minne tied the score at 12–12 with a combination of determination and dynamism. Things were now going much better. Emil Jakobsen converted a seven-meter throw to make it 14–13. Practically as the halftime buzzer sounded, Lasse Møller made it 19–16. It was a tremendous effort. The atmosphere in “Hell North” was now electric.
Quick Responses After the Break
The team entered the second 30 minutes with a three-goal lead. Right after the restart, the SG missed two chances, then Emil Jakobsen brought the score to 20 with a fast break. Just as the opposition threatened to run down the clock, Lasse Møller leaped high and hammered the ball into the net to make it 22–18. A crucial mental boost! On the very next counterattack, the center block won the ball, and Aymeric Minne raced in for the next goal. The home team now had quick answers every time and moved across the court with a comfortable lead. Emil Bergholt extended the lead to 30:23 and engaged in an emotional exchange with the fans. When Aksel Horgen and Patrick Volz entered the game, the bench’s resources were completely exhausted. It wasn’t quite over yet. With the score at 34–30 and six minutes remaining, Aleš Pajović called a team timeout. The closing phase wasn’t exactly dominant, but nothing went wrong.
