The Bundesliga handball team SC DHfK Leipzig still has to wait for its first win in 2025. However, the team of Head Coach Runar Sigtryggsson fought for at least a point at ThSV Eisenach after a strong final phase and prevented its fifth defeat in a row against its eastern rivals with a 34:34 (17:18) victory.
The German internationals dominated for both teams. The best scorer for SC DHfK was Luca Witzke with 13 goals. Marko Grgic excelled for coach Misha Kaufmann's team with eleven goals.
While Leipzig are now 13th with 15-23 points, Eisenach are ninth with 19-19 points. "It was an incredible performance of will from us," said Leipzig's pivot Moritz Preuss on Dyn.
Nervous start in front of 2,800 fans
Both teams got off to a nervous start in front of 2,800 spectators and had great difficulty creating good shots at the beginning. When Eisenach attacked Leipzig's middle block more energetically, it pulled 6:3 ahead in the 12th minute. The visitors initially failed to find their pace.
After a red card for their defensive boss Philipp Meyer (15'), however, Eisenach lost its defensive stability. In particular, the outstanding Witzke, who shone with eight goals in the first half, now repeatedly scored in one-on-one situations and was also responsible for tying the scores at 9:9 in the 19th minute. The East rivals traded blows until the break.
The second half was also characterized by high tempo and intense duels. The visitors' goalkeeper Domenico Ebner, who had been hapless in the first half, became increasingly strong, but Leipzig was hardly able to capitalize on that because it made more technical mistakes in attack.
The club from Eisenach scored three goals in succession to turn a 27:27 deficit (51') into a 30:27 lead (54'). However, Leipzig showed the mentality it had lacked in previous derbies. Led by Witzke, SC DHfK fought back and tied the scores at 34:34 with 43 seconds remaining.
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