SG Flensburg-Handewitt have started the main round of the EHF European League with a defeat. After the 30:32 (15:13) against THW Kiel, they now have 4:2 points on their account. The SG's top scorer was Emil Jakobsen (10/6).
The first home game of 2026 was a derby. When the lights came on after the usual sparkling entrance ceremony, the THW Kiel team stood on the other side. The support was immediate: "Oh, SGW!" The first 20 minutes on the pitch were fast-paced, but not perfect. Johannes Golla scored a double to make it 8:6. "Completely detached," echoed around the court. However, the elation ebbed away again when THW equalized. The SG then fired up the atmosphere again with a 3:0 run. Kevin Møller now had the advantage in the goalkeeper duel. Patrick Volz, who came on during Emil Jakobsen's time penalty, even increased the lead to 14:10 and the "Hell North" went wild. However, the lead was halved by half-time.
SG could no longer get a grip on the game
After the break, the small cushion was quickly used up. Simon Pytlick danced through his opponents' cover twice, but his own was not stable enough in this phase. "Stand up if you're Flensburg!" was the emotional rallying cry from the stands. This did not help at first. The SG bench called a team timeout at 20:23. Benjamin Burić was now in charge of the box. The home side played with three right-backs and then with seven outfield players. The SG came close again, but then missed chances set them back. Annoyingly, Benjamin Burić initially saved a seven-meter penalty, but then had to concede defeat. The SG never gave up. 63 seconds before the end, Emil Jakobsen converted a penalty to make it 30:31. Kiel also scored a seven-meter penalty and took the points home.
