Sergey Hernandez: Making it to Cologne was a promise to my father

EHF / Björn Pazen

23 May 2024, 11:00

If you believe in destiny, then it was obvious that Sergey Hernandez would play for SC Magdeburg at some point – because Magdeburg was always a theme in the career of the Spanish goalkeeper.

In his second international season, with Helvetia Anaitasuna, he made it to the quarter-final of the EHF Cup 2016/17 and was knocked out by Magdeburg. In October 2017, Hernandez made his debut for the Spanish national team against Germany in Magdeburg. And in 2022, he was the MVP of the EHF Finals after steering SL Benfica to the EHF European League trophy at home in Lisbon – beating SC Magdeburg in the final.

"Winning the EHF Finals in 2022 was a brilliant moment of my career, as it was the first major trophy I won. Benfica was a great project and it was amazing for all the people in the club to win the trophy at home, supported by our great fans. We were the underdogs in the final against the mighty SC Magdeburg, but we played with heart and passion," says Hernandez. The sides ended up swapping their goalkeepers, as Mike Jensen, who has since moved to Veszprém, joined Benfica after winning the EHF Champions League with SCM.

One year after raising the trophy at the EHF Finals, Hernandez arrived at SC Magdeburg, following a change in plans. The goalkeeper was supposed to join Belarusian team Meshkov Brest, but as they were excluded from international competitions after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Hernandez began searching for a new club.

"It was a bit crazy and they were wild times. I received many calls – and finally it was SC Magdeburg. My dream came true, as SCM is the best club in the world. I am so happy that I got this chance, and I have to say well done," says 28-year-old Hernandez.

When Hernandez arrived, he felt a certain pressure and excitement from the first day in the handball-crazy city.

"They were on top of Europe, they were club world champions, and you do not just go to play for Magdeburg, but you arrive to win – every match and every trophy. This is an obligation when you wear the jersey of this club. You have to give 100 per cent in every match when you join this world-class team. The fans and the club play for all trophies. This was impossible for me before," he says.

Hernandez’s start in the EHF Champions League was a bit shaky, with defeats against Veszprém and Barça in the first two group matches – but from then on, the Magdeburg express kept rolling on. First they defended their trophy at the IHF Super Globe by beating Kielce in a rematch of the EHF Champions League 2022/23 final in the semis, then Füchse Berlin in the final. A 12-game winning streak in the EHF Champions League followed, as Magdeburg finished the group phase on top, ahead of Barça and Veszprém.

In between, SCM won the German Cup final – and since those matches against Berlin and Melsungen, Hernandez' star and his importance for the team have risen rapidly. Since the suspension of Nikola Portner, SCM signed Swedish veteran Mikael Aggefors, but Hernandez has made the number one position his own and delivered big time. After saving a total of 31 shots at the Cup finals tournament, not only did Hernandez raise the trophy, but was named MVP of the tournament.

"To win the cup was so important for the players and the club, as this was the only trophy missing in the cabinet. And after all that had happened the week before this event, I knew that I needed to play extraordinarily. They trusted me and I knew I never let them down in those crucial weeks. I was ready and I was full of confidence. And we made it," Hernandez says.

The next dramatic matches were just around the corner – the EHF Champions League quarter-finals against Industria Kielce, which meant more rematches of last year’s final. Kielce won the first leg at home 27:26, leaving everything open for the reverse fixture – and like in Cologne in 2023, 60 minutes were not enough. The regular playing time ended with 15 saves by Hernandez, a 23:22 win for SCM, and a penalty shootout needed to decide the ticket to Cologne. As Tim Hornke and Christian O’Sullivan had failed against Andreas Wolff in Kielce’s goal, Spaniard Alex Dujshebaev had the chance to send his Polish side to the EHF FINAL4 against his national teammate.

“I knew that it is game over if Alex scores – the whole season culminated in this penalty. I did not want to lose. I wanted to go to Cologne. I wanted to make my dream come true. This penalty stood between us and the EHF FINAL4 and maybe even the trophy. It was my job to keep us in the race. The team depended on me. If Alex had shot 10 centimetres closer to the floor, we were out,” says Hernandez, looking back on this crucial moment. Hernandez saved the shot, and the next penalty from Dylan Nahi, before Ómar Ingi Magnusson hit the back of the net and sent Magdeburg to Cologne.

“You cannot believe what happened in this magic match, there were so many ups and downs. Now I have my first EHF FINAL4 ahead. My dream came true. After this series of victories in all competitions, we are full of confidence, but we saw how close it was to fail on the way to Cologne. Our coach Bennet Wiegert built this confidence and trust in all players, and he provided us with this winners' gene, this 100 per cent motivation regardless of which opponent you face. But finally, we depend on ourselves. We have the fate in our hands,” says Hernandez, adding: “If you want to be successful, you need this confidence.”

For Hernandez, making it to Cologne is not only a sporting dream coming true, but a promise to his adoptive father. Sergey was born in the Russian town of Kropotkin and was adopted by two track and field athletes from the Spanish Navarra Region, José Luis Hernández and Gregoria Ferrer, when he was three years old. His father became a track and field coach in Spain, but then got involved in handball – and made it to Danish club KIF Kolding as athletics coach.

“Without my father, I never would have played handball. He brought me to this sport,” says Hernandez, for whom KIF was the starting point of his career.

In 2013, the family returned to Spain, and one year later, his adoptive father died. “I promised him to be successful in handball, and we talked about how great it would be to play at the EHF FINAL4 in Cologne or to win the HEF Champions League. Now I have made it – also for my father.”

As they prepare to face Aalborg in the semi-final, will SCM and Hernandez make the next step towards the trophy?

“No matter which club we would have faced, they are all strong, and we know all of them. We played a pre-season test match against Aalborg. They have huge quality and eliminated Veszprém in the quarter-finals. Every team is favourites and underdogs at the same time. When it comes to Cologne, mathematically, all teams have a chance of 25 per cent to win the trophy. Maybe Magdeburg were underdogs last year, but one year later, the situation is different.”

In Cologne, he will meet his counterpart in the Spain team, Gonzalo Perez de Vargas – maybe even on the court. In this case, SCM would have the chance to take revenge for their biggest ever EHF Champions League defeat, 20:32 in this season’s group phase.

“For me, it is normal now to face Spanish players or Spanish teams. And I faced Barcelona so often with Logroño and Anaitasuna – but unfortunately in those times, we never beat them. And meeting Gonzalo means meeting a good friend and one of the best goalkeepers in the world," Hernandez says.