SC Magdeburg extended their winning streak at the IHF Men’s Super Globe to 10 matches, opening their account in this edition of the competition with a clear 29:20 win over hosts Khaleej, their second win against the Saudi side in the last two editions.

GROUP C
SC Magdeburg (GER) vs Khaleej Club (KSA) 29:20 (15:10)

One year ago, SC Magdeburg and Khaleej met in the preliminary round of the IHF Men’s Super Globe and the reigning champions clinched a hard-fought 36:29 win, with the Saudi hosts delivering an excellent performance.

13 months later, Magdeburg and Khaleej rekindled their rivalry, with the Saudi side ushering in new talent in the squad, as left back Petar Nenadic and line player Mamdouh Shebib joined this summer, adding some much-needed experience.

And, once again, Khaleej handed a sturdy challenge to Magdeburg, a team which had previously won 11 of their 12 matches at the IHF Men’s Super Globe, and was also riding a nine-game winning streak in the competition.

Shebib and Nenadic led the charge, as the two sides were level after 11 minutes, only for Magdeburg’s attacking prowess to come unhinged, with the German powerhouse using a 3:0 run to create a 7:4 lead.

Magdeburg did lose left back Philipp Weber, due to an injury, after 20 minutes, but that did not deter Bennet Wiegert’s side, which had an excellent Matthias Musche on the left wing, who scored 10 of the 12 shots he had throughout the match.

After 30 minutes, Magdeburg were comfortably in the lead, 15:10, especially thanks to the excellent performance of their two goalkeepers, as Nikola Portner had a 41% saving efficiency in the first half, while Sergey Hernandez stopped two penalties in the first 33 minutes.

The gap grew even bigger in the second half, as Magdeburg’s superiority was there on display, with the German side leaving nothing to chance. Khaleej’s misses – three penalties – plus nine turnovers did not help, especially as Magdeburg was once again hugely efficient on the fast breaks.

By the 51st minute, the gap grew to 10 goals, 27:17, as Magdeburg’s defence produced an excellent performance. Eventually, the German side rode their luck and sealed a 29:20 win, their 10th in a row at the IHF Men’s Super Globe, and one which definitely sees them in the driving seat for a place in the semi-finals.

Both sides will be favoured in their last match, against the University of Queensland, where Magdeburg can also rest some of their players, before the showdown in the knockout phase on Saturday and Sunday, where they are one step closer to qualify after this big win.

hummel Player of the Match: Matthias Musche (SC Magdeburg)