Three-time champions SC Magdeburg secured the first place in Group A at the 2025 IHF Men’s Club World Championship, clinching their second win in a row, 36:26, against Sharjah SC.

GROUP A
SC Magdeburg (GER) vs Sharjah SC (UAE) 36:26 (16:13)

With goal difference being crucial in determining the ranking between the group winners and potentially offering a better path towards the trophy, Magdeburg knew that they needed to secure a big win against Sharjah SC, after delivering a 30-goal win against the California Eagles in the first match.

Nevertheless, Sharjah SC were no pushovers and the German side were in a conundrum after 30 minutes, leading by only three goals, which would not have been enough for them to become the best group winner, after a hit-and-miss first half, where they were down even by three goals against the ambitious Emirati side.

Surprisingly, Magdeburg prepared to stop Sharjah’s most experienced player, left back Mosbah Sanai, who did not score in the first 40 minutes of the match, but their usual attacking efficiency was down to 53% in the first half, with turnovers and missed shots piling up.

Coach Bennet Wiegert used his first team time-out after only 10 minutes, at the end of a 3:0 unanswered run for Sharjah, which propelled the Emirati team to a 7:4 lead. Backs Mahmoud Radwan and Mouadh Ayari combined for seven goals in the first half and constantly frustrated Magdeburg’s defence, while the German side – big favourites entering the match – made some key mistakes in attack.

Wings Daniel Pettersson and Sebastian Barthold missed seven shots between them in the first half, denying Magdeburg scoring in some clear-cut chances, but were not substituted, due to Wiegert trying to offer his players as much time as possible, after Tim Hornke and Lukas Mertens played yesterday.

But that decision had its consequences, as Magdeburg could not pull away easily and improve their goal difference, as the score was still close, 20:16, after 40 minutes, with Sharjah, the Asian club champions, really delivering an excellent performance, never backing down and taking Magdeburg the extra mile.
A 6:3 run for Sharjah cut the gap to only four goals, but eventually Magdeburg had more resources, were better physically and got some easy balls in defence, converting them into fast breaks, to improve their lead to eight goals, 30:22, with seven minutes to go.

As Pettersson improved his overall tally to seven goals and his efficiency to 70%, Magdeburg finally won in double digits, taking a 36:26 win, but they will surely lament the missed chances throughout the match.

The second win in two matches brought Magdeburg the first place in the group and they now have a +40 goal difference. They will be the best group winners in this edition of the IHF Men’s Club World Championship only if Veszprem do not win by more than three goals.

Player of the Match: Mahmoud Radwan (Sharjah SC)