Newly promoted VfL Potsdam has lost its first away game in the handball Bundesliga. Coach Emir Kurtagic’s team lost 23:31 (10:18) to MT Melsungen. The best VfL scorers in front of 2,639 spectators in the Rothenbach Hall in Kassel were Josip Simic (6 goals), Nils Fuhrmann (5/2) and Jannek Klein (4).
The Potsdam team started with a lot of self-confidence. The first quarter of an hour was evenly matched, with the lead changing back and forth. Kurtagic had spoken of a “huge challenge” before the first away game. However, his team should act courageously and combatively. That is exactly what VfL did after the unfortunate start (26:28) in the promoted team duel against SG BBM Bietigheim.
Erik Balenciaga scored in the 17th minute to give Hesse their first two-goal lead (8:6), before they went on a 5:0 run to 14:7 within five minutes. Kurtagic’s timeout didn’t help much when the score was 7:11. Just one goal in ten minutes was simply not enough for VfL. After the break, Potsdam was able to reduce the deficit to four goals (18:22/45th), but often lacked ideas and repeatedly made technical errors in the build-up play.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:240912-930-231023/1
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