Andreas Wolff keeps Kiel in the game: THW overturn deficit against strong Hannover

The match was shaped primarily by the two goalkeepers and the compact defensive lines. Andreas Wolff finished with twelve saves and kept his team in the game, particularly in the first half. At the other end, Joel Birlehm also made twelve saves and was a key factor in Hannover's lead at the break.

The decisive factor was the development in Kiel's positional attack. After the restart, THW noticeably reduced their technical errors and played out their moves with greater patience. Domen Makuc increasingly took control and, with five goals, was the driving force of the second half. A constant throughout the match was Harald Reinkind, who was Kiel's top scorer with seven goals and also provided stability in defence.

For Hannover, Justus Fischer stood out, converting all four of his attempts in the first half and finishing with six goals. In addition, Leif Tissier orchestrated the visitors' play with five goals and five assists. The fact that the compact defence no longer generated the same pressure after the break, and that the 63 per cent shooting rate could not be converted into points, ultimately cost Hannover. Added to that was the loss of the injured Renars Uscins, whose power from the back court was sorely missed by the visitors.

For Kiel, it is a fourth win in four matches. The side remain flawless, but must still settle for second place in the table behind SG Flensburg-Handewitt, who are level on points. For Hannover, it was their first defeat of the season, having previously collected two wins and one draw.

The first half was a duel between the goalkeepers and the defensive lines. Both teams struggled in attack. Kiel trailed 7:10 after 22 minutes, that the deficit was not greater was down to Wolff, who defused several clear chances early on and also saved a seven-metre throw from August Pedersen.

Hannover defended boldly and tightly, forced errors and went into the break with a narrow 12:11 lead. Fischer, with his perfect conversion rate, played a major part in the visitors taking the lead.

After the restart, the picture changed. Kiel played their attack with more structure, converted their chances more effectively and pulled away step by step. Makuc took responsibility, while Wolff continued to be there in goal whenever Hannover threatened to close the gap. THW extended the lead to four goals and saw out the advantage.

After the match, Fischer identified the core of the problem: "We didn't quite manage to maintain that compact defence in the second half as well. That was our trump card in the first half." Kiel's Domagoj Duvnjak saw the turnaround in similar terms: "We didn't have as many technical errors and were more mobile in attack. We moved the ball and took our chances."

In the table, nothing changes for either team for now: Kiel remain on 6:0 points in second place behind the still unbeaten SG Flensburg-Handewitt, while Hannover, despite their first defeat, hold fourth place with 5:3 points (provisional standings). Kiel continue on Friday, 18 September, away at ThSV Eisenach. Hannover are in action a day later, on Saturday, 19 September, at SG BBM Bietigheim.

THW Kiel - TSV Hannover-Burgdorf 29:26 (11:12)
THW Kiel: Wolff (12 saves), Perez de Vargas; Reinkind 7, Makuc 5, Nacinovic 4, Zerbe 4/3, Johansson 3, Köster 2, Madsen 2, Duvnjak 1, Ellefsen á Skipagøtu 1, Faust, Ankermann, Dahmke, Pekeler, Büchner
TSV Hannover-Burgdorf: Birlehm (12 saves), Gade; Fischer 6, Tissier 5, Pedersen 4/1, Poulsen 3, Michalczik 3, Weber 2, Zechel 2, Heymann 1, Fielitz, Dietzsch, Edvardsson, Pöthke, Stutzke
Top Player: Reinkind / Fischer
Suspensions: 3 / 2

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