The handball players of SC DHfK Leipzig have conceded their fifth successive defeat in the Bundesliga despite a clear improvement in performance. The team of coach Runar Sigtryggsson lost 30:31 (14:13) at home to SC Magdeburg in the eastern duel. National player Luca Witzke was the best scorer for SC DHfK, which remains in 13th place with 17:33 points, with ten goals in front of 6,000 spectators.
Left winger Matthias Musche scored twelve times for Bennet Wiegert's team. With 31:11 points, SCM is still in sixth place, but still has a realistic chance of winning the championship again with four games to catch up.
Witzke as the linchpin
The Leipzig club started with a lot of energy and disrupted SCM's flow of play with its compact 5:1 defense. The home side led 4:3 after ten minutes and although Magdeburg subsequently stepped up the pace in attack, SC DHfK held firm and was able to rely on Witzke, who was the focal point of all Leipzig's attacking moves in the first half. The underdogs defended a narrow lead up to the break.
Early red card
After the break, Leipzig had to cope with an early red card for captain Simon Ernst (35') and fell behind 18:20 (40'). However, the SCM failed to pull away decisively in this phase. The home side fought its way back into the game through its strong backcourt players and recaptured the lead with a 4:1 run to make it 22:21 in the 45th minute.
However, their strength in defense increasingly waned. Magdeburg was now increasingly able to tear gaps in Leipzig's defense and win seven-meter penalties, which Musche converted with unerring accuracy. As a result, the visitors pulled 28:25 ahead in the 52nd minute.
Leipzig did not give up, however, and came back to within one goal on several occasions. After Musche missed his first seven-meter penalty at the eleventh attempt, the home side even had the chance to draw level with its last attack, but Magdeburg defended strongly and so saved the narrow victory.
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