Magdeburg seal routine win against Sydney

EHF European League Men winners SC Magdeburg progressed to the 2021 IHF Men’s Super Globe quarter-finals after a straightforward 32:20 win against Australian outfit Sydney Uni.

Magdeburg will face Qatari side Al Duhail, while Sydney proceed to the placement round 5-10.

QUARTER-FINALS QUALIFICATION
Sydney Uni Handball Club (AUS) vs SC Magdeburg (GER) 20:32 (12:17)

For the first 30 minutes, it looked like the game was morphing into a tense clash between the most experienced Australian player, right wing Bevan Calvert, and Magdeburg’s Dutch right back, Kay Smits.

Calvert, the only Australian player ever to play in the EHF Champions League Men and win the German Bundesliga (with THW Kiel in 2020), scored six times for Sydney.

However, Magdeburg’s depth and experience were crucial, as Smits himself added seven goals, while goalkeeper Mike Jensen saved eight shots, to lift the German side to a 17:12 half-time lead.

While it may have looked that the game was going to be a straightforward procession for Magdeburg, the current leaders of the German Bundesliga, Sydney Uni put up a serious fight. In spite of failing to bring their coaches, Michael Roth and Lionel Puyhardy, to the IHF Men’s Super Globe, the Australian side pushed their limits and converted 57% of their shots in the first half.

Admirable as it may be, Sydney Uni’s challenge did not pay dividends in the second half, when Magdeburg’s superiority was on display. A 12:4 run, spurred by 18-year-old left wing Elias Ruddat, who scored seven times in the second half, sealed the fourth win in five games in the competition for the German side, who finished second in 2002.

In less than 24 hours, Magdeburg, who secured the 32:20 win, will face the Asian Club League Championship winners, Qatari side Al Duhail, with an eye firmly set on a semi-finals berth. As for Sydney Uni, they will continue their journey at the Super Globe in the placement round 5-10.