In the pursuit duel, the foxes give the Rhein-Neckar Lions no chance. In the end, the Berliners can even spare all the top performers. Before the game it was announced: The Foxes are continuing to build a strong team for the future and are relying on youth.
The Füchse Berlin have conquered the top of the handball Bundesliga table. The Berliners won against the Rhein-Neckar Löwen with 34:27 (18:13) in front of 8,745 spectators in the Max-Schmeling-Halle. It was already the tenth competitive win against the Lions in a row. The best Berlin throwers were Lasse Andersson and Mathias Gidsel with ten goals each.
Before the game, the contract extension of the two homegrown players Tim Freihöfer and Matthes Langhoff was announced. The contracts that expired at the end of the season were extended until 2028. The Foxes are continuing to rely on continuity. Both players are prime examples of the club’s philosophy: They came to Berlin in the B youth team and were trained in the club’s talent factory. In 2023 they won the World Cup title with the U21 national team.
“We are very happy to keep two homegrown players, German champions and U21 world champions, in our ranks. Both are developing steadily upwards. Tim has a lot planned for the season, and you can see that in the games. He rewards himself for the hard work he put in over the summer. Similar with Matthes Langhoff. He is coming into play more and more – on both sides of the field. He has been a safe bet in defense for a year and a half,” said coach Jaron Siewert.
21-year-old Max Beneke also made his mark
After all, it was Freihöfer who put his team in the lead for the first time with two goals in the game against the Rhein-Neckar Löwen (5:3) after a balanced start with a seven-meter penalty in the 9th minute.
As the game went on, the Foxes’ offense got better and better. In addition to Andersson and Gidsel, 21-year-old Max Beneke, also from our own youth department, also set important accents. When the Lions made a few mistakes, the hosts punished them coldly and pulled away with a 6-1 run after a good 23 minutes.
After the break, the Berliners made a few mistakes and it was thanks to keeper Dejan Milosavljev that the lead narrowed to no more than four goals. But the foxes quickly caught themselves and picked up the pace again. In the 47th minute the lead reached double digits for the first time (29:19). In the end, the hosts spared all key players early on.
dpa/mel
