Lemgo overturn four-goal deficit to win again in Berlin

It was efficiency that made the difference in the end. TBV converted 74 per cent of their attempts, creating numerous attacks through the pivot and with determined drives, and found solutions time and again from the back court. Added to that was the advantage in goal: Constantin Möstl and Domenico Ebner combined for ten saves, while on the Berlin side Andreas Palicka and Lasse Ludwig managed five between them.

Füchse kept the match alive primarily from the seven-metre line. The referees awarded ten penalties to the hosts, eight of which were converted by Tim Freihöfer, who finished as top scorer with 14 goals. Mathias Gidsel contributed ten goals and was almost impossible to stop in one-on-one situations. In positional attack against the visitors' deep-lying defence, however, Berlin found the right answers less often, and the seven-against-six phases did not produce the desired effect either. It annoys me that we can't get the seven against six working, said Max Darj after the match. We know exactly what kind of team Lemgo are, how slowly and cleverly they play. Yet we still can't manage to play a faster game.

For TBV it was a third consecutive win, following victories over Handball Club Hamburg and at TVB Stuttgart, and for the second time in succession in Berlin. Versteijnen was the visitors' standout performer with eight goals and six assists, but did not want to claim the credit for himself: Today it was everyone. I can't say it was me today. It really was everyone. Levin Wanner scored six times, as did Lukas Hutecek. For Füchse it was their second defeat of the season, following the match at SC Magdeburg.

From four goals down to a last-minute winner

The visitors made the better start, pulling away from 2:5 to 3:7 and making better use of a hectic opening phase punctuated by stoppages and discussions. Füchse needed a good twelve minutes to draw level at 8:8, and took the lead for the first time shortly afterwards. More than a two-goal advantage did not materialise before the break, however, partly because too much was squandered in their own attack. We're simply making far too many mistakes. We could be leading comfortably. We sleep through the opening phase completely, fight our way back in and are only leading by one or two goals, said Freihöfer at the half-time score of 19:17.

After the restart the match appeared to be swinging Berlin's way. The hosts played more patiently, imposed their fast-paced game through the centre and led 24:20 in the 39th minute. But then came the decisive phase of the match: Lemgo remained disciplined in attack, reduced their own errors significantly and turned the four-goal deficit into a lead of their own with a 6:1 run. Versteijnen identified this moment himself after the match: In the first half we had six technical errors, in the second half it was two. Then we played it superbly right to the end.

The closing stages were an open exchange with several lead changes. At 31:30 Möstl saved a seven-metre throw from Freihöfer, and shortly afterwards Palicka denied Samuel Zehnder's penalty. After Freihöfer made it 35:35, Versteijnen put the visitors back in front, before scoring again 29 seconds from time to make it 35:37. Lichtlein pulled it back to 36:37, but there was no more time for the hosts. We implemented the plan really well in defence and won our duels. Sure, there was the odd seven-metre throw here and there, but you can't defend everything. And at the end we scored our goals up front and had a good conversion rate, explained Wanner. He put the significance of the victory into perspective: If someone had told us beforehand that we'd take two points from here, we'd all have said that's incredibly cool.

Both teams continue next Sunday, 18 October: Füchse Berlin face a trip to SG Flensburg-Handewitt, while TBV Lemgo Lippe host FRISCH AUF! Göppingen at home and can extend their winning run.

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