Down four goals in the 37th minute, SC Magdeburg rallied back and secured their fourth consecutive appearance in the final of the IHF Men’s World Championship, with a hard-fought win against Egyptian side Al-Ahly, 28:24.

The German side will now face Veszprem HC in the last act of the competition, which can see Magdeburg write history, becoming the first team to win the trophy four times in a row.

SEMI-FINALS
SC Magdeburg (GER) vs Al-Ahly SC (EGY) 28:24 (12:15)

Riding a 14-match winning streak entering the semi-final of the 2024 IHF Men’s World Championship, SC Magdeburg were favoured against Al-Ahly, but the hosts hoped that the support of their own fans would level the playing field and Al-Ahly arguably provided their best performance in a single half in the world club handball flagship competition in the first 30 minutes.

Magdeburg did not have their best form in the start of the season, with injuries clearly hampering their rotation, but the German powerhouse, champions in the domestic league last season, literally had no answer at times, forcing their coach, Bennet Wiegert, to take two team time-outs in the first 17 minutes.

Unanswered runs of 3:0 and 4:0 saw Al-Ahly take an unexpected six goal lead, 11:5, as their excellent attacking performance sent shockwaves through the Magdeburg defence, which was unable to stop the Egyptian side’s line player, Ahmed Adel, who had four goals in the first half.

Adding insult to injury, Magdeburg’s attack was simply lacking chemistry and speed, as the usually pacy German side finished with a shot only after 45.73 seconds on average, with the rhythm too slow to really create issues for Al-Ahly. And when goalkeepers Sergey Hernandez and Nikola Portner combined for only two saves and a 12% saving efficiency, Magdeburg had nowhere to hide.

It was a testament of Al-Ahly’s resilience that the score was so lopsided for most of the first half, as the Egyptian side’s defence stood tall, while coach Stefan Madsen managed his team with class, continuously substituting players, to hand some much-needed rest for his side, which had a tough second half coming.

But after 30 minutes, Al-Ahly had a three-goal lead, 15:12, dominating the proceedings and looking seriously dangerous for a Magdeburg side which was slow, predictable and only improved their efficiency late in the first half, with the German side boasting a 43% shooting efficiency after 17 minutes.

The second half was certainly not for the fainthearted, as Magdeburg geared up to mount a comeback, only to see themselves four goals down, 15:19, after 37 minutes, with Al-Ahly still controlling the match and limiting the German side’s attack, which saw only centre back Manuel Zehnder shine, having eight goals until that point.

Yet Magdeburg still power in their tank, especially as their efficiency started to grow minute by minute, while Al-Ahly’s players became more and more tired. After a 5:2 run, the German side had the chance to tie the score, only for Zehnder to miss Magdeburg’s third penalty of the match, as goalkeeper Abdelrahman Homayed shined once again.

However, the German side did not miss another chance and took advantage of Al-Ahly’s mistakes, with the Egyptian team conceding three suspensions in quick succession, opening the lanes in defence, where Zehnder and left wing Mathias Musche scored for a 3:0 unanswered run, which saw Magdeburg take the lead for the first time, 23:22, with nine minutes to go. The pair was also Magdeburg’s main reason for the win, combining for 17 of the team’s 28 goals.

That run morphed into a 6:0 one, with Al-Ahly failing to score for 10 minutes and five seconds, which turned out to be the pivotal moment of the match. Some excellent goals from Musche, with one-handed catches on the left wing, proved to be the key ingredient, as Magdeburg sealed the finals berth after a long and hard-fought match against the hosts.

The German side qualified for the fourth time in a row to the final of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship and extended their winning streak to 15 matches, as they can write history on Thursday, when they face Veszprem HC in the last act, at 20:00 EEST. Another win would set Magdeburg apart in the competition’s history, becoming the first team to secure the title four times in a row.

Al-Ahly now head to the bronze medal match, where they face FC Barcelona, yet the Egyptian side can be proud of their performance throughout the last 60 minutes, as they really pushed Magdeburg to the limit.

Player of the Match: Manuel Zehnder (SC Magdeburg)