Kiel’s late surge snatches victory
It was a true thriller in Kiel, decided by a late comeback with a 4:0 run in the final four minutes.
With a 28:26 win against Aalborg Håndbold, THW Kiel reduced the gap to the Danish side to only one point and mathematically still have a chance of finishing second in the group.
GROUP B
THW Kiel (GER) vs Aalborg Håndbold (DEN) 28:26 (15:15)
- the lead changed four times before the break, Kiel’s 11:8 lead was the largest gap of the entire match
- in the 56th minute, Aalborg’s world champion Magnus Saugstrup scored to make it 26:24 but that would be the last goal for his side before Kiel went on a 4:0 run to win the game
- after three goals in the first half, Aalborg’s Sebastian Barthold put the pedal to the metal, adding four more to finish as the top scorer
- Mikael Aggefors narrowly won the goalkeeper duel against current world champion and IHF Player of the Year, Niklas Landin, by 13 saves to 12
Ekberg the winner in a thriller
He was the top scorer of the Olympic Games 2012 in London and the top scorer of the 2019/20 EHF Champions League season - and again on Tuesday night, Niklas Ekberg showed us what he is made of.
The Swedish right wing, scored three of the last four THW goals as they came from two down to win by two. With six goals, including three penalties, he was Kiel’s top scorer on the night, taking his season total to 53.
I’m really happy. It was a great evening with a happy end and a huge step forward to get into the flow after this long quarantine break. We won two points against a strong Aalborg team, now we sleep and start our next challenge.
