Kiel take first away win, extending Aalborg’s run of defeats

GROUP B

Aalborg Handbold (DEN) vs. THW Kiel (GER) 26:30 (14:16) 

• both sides played extremely well in attack, with THW Kiel having the better start, going 10:6 ahead - but then Aalborg took control and turned Kiel’s mistakes into counter-attack goals, mainly by Kristian Bjørnsen 
• right after the break, Kiel scored four unanswered goals, backed by their rock-solid defence and a strong period from left wing Rune Dahmke, to pull ahead to 20:15 - and then even to 23:17 
• after a time-out, Aalborg came back stronger and with more precision in attack, as on the other side, the number of Kiel mistakes and missed shots increased - but when Sander Sagosen hammered in for 29:25, Kiel’s first away win was sealed 
• in the end, three Norwegians were the top scorers: Bjørnsen netted eight for the hosts, Sagosen (six) and Harald Reinkind (five) for Kiel 

Niklas Landin in focus 

It must be a strange feeling to face your upcoming teammates, but Niklas Landin is professional enough to do his duty - and that duty means preventing goals. The captain of the Danish national team returned home for a single match on Thursday and at the break he was on seven saves, one more than young Dane Simon Gade on Aalborg’s side. After 60 minutes, the current IHF Player of the Year was on eleven saves. Next season - and after eleven years in Germany (Rhein-Neckar Löwen from 2012 until 2015, then Kiel) the World, Olympic and European champion will move to Aalborg to aim for his second Champions League trophy after 2020 with THW. But maybe a trip to Cologne will cap off his farewell tour already in the current jersey?