The Bundesliga handball players of Thüringer HC ended the Final 4 of the DHB Cup without a win. Less than 24 hours after the 21:25 semi-final defeat against SG BBM Bietigheim, the team of Head Coach Herbert Müller was also beaten 30:34 (13:19) by VfL Oldenburg in the third-place game on Sunday afternoon. The THC's best scorers were Johanna Reichert and Nathalie Hendrikse with seven goals each. Toni-Luisa Reinemann stood out for Oldenburg with eleven goals.
The Thuringians got off to a disastrous start to the game. They were unable to find any playful solutions against VfL's aggressive defense and were far too passive in defense against Oldenburg's dynamic backcourt shooters. As a result, the seventh-placed club in the German league built a comfortable 8:1 lead by the twelfth minute.
It was only when the lively Sonja Frey was brought on in the center position that THC's attacking play, which had to do without the injured international Annika Lott, gained more punch. The substitution of goalkeeper Nicole Roth also paid off. The runners-up fought their way back to 12:16 in the 27th minute in an open exchange of blows, but then fell back into their old patterns and allowed Oldenburg to pull away again by the break.
VfL had the game safely under control up to 27:20 in the 44th minute, before the club from Thuringia once again rebelled against the threat of defeat. They now increasingly established their play from the circle in attack and stepped up their intensity in defense. When Reichert reduced the deficit to 27:30 in the 52nd minute, a turnaround seemed possible again, but Oldenburg was no longer deterred and ran out deserved winners.
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