With 14 minutes left on the clock, Khaleej Club had a one-goal lead and were close to deliver a huge shock at the 2024 IHF Men’s Club World Championship, but SC Magdeburg eventually bounced back and secured a 35:28 win, clinching a place in the semi-finals.

GROUP C
Khaleej Club (KSA) vs SC Magdeburg (GER) 28:35 (14:15)

This was the third meeting between the two sides in the last three editions of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship, with Magdeburg sealing two wins, 29:20 and 35:29, meaning that every time, the Saudi side, winners of the 2023 AHF Asian Men’s Club Championship, exerted some pressure on the German champions.

But this was the best performance by Khaleej – probably in all their history in the world club handball flagship competition – as with 14 minutes left on the clock, the Saudi side was only one goal down, 22:23, being close to deliver one of the biggest shocks in the history of the competition.

Magdeburg were riding a 13-match winning streak at the IHF Men’s Club World Championship before this match, being no match for strong sides, but this time around, their start was wobbly, enabling Khaleej to stay in the hunt, despite the Saudi side failing to get anything going in their defence, where their goalkeepers combined for a single save in the first 20 minutes.

Yet somehow, Magdeburg’s attracting brand of high-pace handball did not work wonders this time around, as the German side’s efficiency dipped with too many one-on-one misses, which saw Khaleej hang around, with a single goal separating the two teams at the break, 14:15, only after the Saudi side missed two penalties and some other one-on-one chances.

However, Magdeburg still looked in control and never panicked, with their superior depth being important in this match, yet their positional attacks were still slow and predictable, or ended up in big one-on-one misses, as Mohammad Al Salem had five saves in only 20 minutes ofr Khaleej.

But the Saudi side found new motivation early in the second half, taking the lead, 21:20, after 40 minutes, inspired by centre back Mujtaba Al Salem, who finished the match with five goals, adding to his overall tally in the competition, which saw him take the first place in the top goal scorer standings, with 16 goals.

Nevertheless, Magdeburg were no pushovers and used a 3:0 unanswered run to wrestle back the lead, as they took advantage of their fast breaks, while also converting two open-goal shots, to create their first three-goal lead of the match, 26:23, when there were 11 minutes left on the clock, forcing Khaleej’s coach, Dimtris Dimitroulias, to take a team time-out.

That did not help, as Khaleej were too far behind and had nothing left in the tank, with Magdeburg punishing their opponents with fast breaks or fast throw-offs to eventually take a 35:28 win, way harder than expected, but a win nonetheless, one which helped the German side secure their semi-finals berth.

Right wing Isak Persson was Magdeburg’s top scorer, with nine goals, followed by right back Omar Ingi Magnusson, with six goals and centre back Manuel Zehnder, who scored five goals.

Magdeburg are now through to the next phase of the competition, while Khaleej have to wait to see if they can progress to the next phase or they go into the placement matches, with only the best second-placed side joining the three group winners in the semi-finals. The Saudi side has a +16 goal difference and two points, with their chances now slimmer, due to the seven-goal loss.

Player of the Match: Isak Persson (SC Magdeburg)