Flensburg concede first home loss, but make it to EHF Finals

QUARTER-FINALS, SECOND LEG

SG Flensburg-Handewitt (GER) vs IK Sävehof (SWE) 28:29 (11:15)

SG Flensburg-Handewitt win 68:59 on aggregate

• Sävehof led throughout the whole first half, with the largest gap being four goals, after their goalkeepers, Simon Möller and Oscar Sävinger, combined for 10 saves, for a 47 per cent saving efficiency
• this was Flensburg’s first home loss of the season, after the German side scored at least 38 goals in each of the previous five matches
• Flensburg mounted a comeback, took the lead in the second half, 23:21, but a 5:1 run from Sävehof eventually tilted the balance into the Swedish side’s way, as left wing Alexander Westby scored five goals
• Sävehof finished one of their best ever European seasons in history with their ninth win, tying their record in a single season of an European competition, set in 2013/14, when they won the EHF Challenge Cup
• the German side are in the semi-finals of an European competition for the first time since the 2013/14 season, when they clinched the title in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League in Cologne

Flensburg concede loss, but are back in a final tournament for the first time in 10 years

Last season, with the EHF Finals Men in Flensburg, there was no home side after the German powerhouse conceded a 27:35 loss on their home court in the quarter-finals against Granollers, after winning the first leg, 31:30. Therefore, the precedent was there and Flensburg had to do everything to avoid it from happening again.

The German side had a big advantage on their hands, boasting a 41.2 goals scored per match average on their home court this season, but this time around they were limited to only 11 goals in the first half, as Sävehof proved they are no pushovers and fought until the end despite their 11-goal loss in the first leg.

But Flensburg had the experience on their side, with Jim Gottfridsson, Johannes Golla or Simon Pytlick in their roster and made it through with a 68:59 aggregate win, despite failing to replicate their excellent performance from the first leg, when they scored 41 goals.

Nevertheless, Flensburg are back in the business end of an European competition for the first time in 10 years and they will surely hope to add silverware in the EHF Finals Men, which will take place on 25 and 26 May in Hamburg.

Photos © Ingrid Anderson-Jensen