VfL Lübeck-Schwartau fought its way to an exciting 28:28 against TuS N-Lübbecke

VfL Lübeck-Schwartau fought its way to an exciting 28:28 against TuS N-Lübbecke

In a thrilling duel in the 2nd Handball Bundesliga, VfL Lübeck-Schwartau and TuS N-Lübbecke separated last Friday with a fair 28:28 draw. This gave Lübeck their first away point of the season. Coach David Röhrig sent his boys into the last move with clear instructions, but it ended in a tricky emergency throw from Janik Schrader. Paul Holzhacker said after the game that “more would have been possible” under the given situation, while the team had to compete without four regular players, including Skorupa, Hagedorn, Juhl and Heinemann. Despite these departures, Lübeck's defense showed a solid performance, with Nils Conrad in particular reacting quickly and parrying the first few balls.

The first few minutes of the game were characterized by strong defense. The first goal came after four minutes through Jan-Eric Speckmann, who scored against his former club. VfL Lübeck-Schwartau fought back strongly and increased the lead to 4-0 in the ninth minute through Nadav Cohen. However, the hosts quickly found their way back into the game and scored their first goal, while Paul Dreyer, who conceded the first goals, contributed strongly to the team's performance.

An exciting gameplay

VfL extended their lead to 10:5, but N-Lübbecke didn't give up and fought their way back to 14:12 by halftime. After the break, Lübeck fell behind again (15:19 in the 38th minute), but Mark Ferjan, who saved four seven-meter penalties in a row, initiated the comeback with his saves. In the second half, Lübeck were finally able to equalize (19:19) and briefly even led 26:23.

The nerves were tense: Einar Nickelsen later gave Lübeck a 28:27 lead, but Henri Pabst equalized just 52 seconds before the end. Despite the cheering of the fans and remarkable individual performances, VfL did not manage to maintain their narrow lead over time. The statistics show a balanced game: Nils Conrad parried four balls and Ferjan converted one of five seven meters. The referees Schwarzmeier and Stewen ensured that the game played out fairly, with a total of five time penalties for TuS and three for VfL.

A look forward

The next challenge is already looming: Next week the Lübeck team will host the HSG Konstanz in their home Hansehalle. With the positive feeling from the draw and the knowledge that they played without several key players, VfL could perhaps take the next step in the table. The team is currently at the top of the 2nd Bundesliga table and seems to be well on its way to delivering exciting games this season.

There are more and more exciting games coming up in the league, and the next opponent, HSG Konstanz, will certainly give it their all. The positive defensive performance from the draw could be the decisive factor in staying on top of the game.

Things remain exciting for the table, while other teams such as HC Elbflorenz and TUSEM Essen are also fighting for the top places. It certainly won't be boring in the league and all eyes are on the upcoming games!

For more information about the games and statistics, take a look at the LN Online, the VfL Lübeck-Schwartau and the Kicker.