Handball Bundesliga 2025/2026: “Füchse Berlin stumble again – Gummersbach on fire, Magdeburg pulling away”
A new round of the Bundesliga and a second defeat for Füchse Berlin, and it’s only mid-September! The reigning champions are struggling after the shock caused by the dismissal of the leading duo Zivert–Kretschmar. And although it seemed that, with the Champions League win over Nantes, new coach Nikolaj Krikau had established control over the team, the trip to Gummersbach once again exposed the “Foxes’” weakness.
Gummersbach, who are ready this season to attack the TOP 5, defeated Füchse Berlin 34:29 (18:13) in a match where the home side led by +9 in the 46th minute. Obling was brilliant with 12 saves in goal, as well as Kai Smits with eight goals. The occasional brilliance of Mathias Gidsel (10) was not enough to lift the team, which is clearly in crisis…
VfL Gummersbach – Füchse Berlin 34:29 (18:13)
VfL Gummersbach: Kuzmanovic (2/2 penalties), Obling (12/1 saves); Gomes 2, Vidarsson 3, Kodrin 2, Vujovic 3/2, Köster 3, Blohme 4, Häseler, Schluroff 5, Mahe 1, Pregler 1, Horzen 1, Kiesler, Smits 8, Zeman
Füchse Berlin: Ludwig (3 saves), Milosavljev (6/1); Wiede 2, Darj 2, Prantner, Andersson 2, Arino, Gröndahl 2/1, Lichtlein 1, Gidsel 10, Freihöfer 4, Langhoff 2, Herburger, av Teigum 3, Marsenic 1
All of this was used by Magdeburg to calmly build up a points cushion with a routine win over Stuttgart 32:23 (17:10).
SC Magdeburg – TVB Stuttgart 32:23 (17:10)
SC Magdeburg: Hernandez (14/2 saves), Mandic; Claar 7, Zechel 3, Kristjansson 4, Pettersson, Magnusson 6/6, Hornke 1, Jonsson 2, Weber 3, Lagergren, Mertens 3, Saugstrup, O’Sullivan, Barthold, Bergendahl 3
TVB Stuttgart: Vujovic (2 saves), Rebmann (2 saves); M. Häfner, Serradilla 4, Lien, Pribetic, Snajder 2, Toskas, Mengon 1, Röthlisberger, Matzken, Zieker 4, K. Häfner 5, Truchanovicius, Rubin 7, Nigg
Kiel struggled against Hamburg 27:25 (16:14), led by an inspired Skipagotu, who scored 11 goals.
THW Kiel – HSV Hamburg 27:25 (16:14)
THW Kiel: Wolff (10 saves), Nowottny; Duvnjak 2, Reinkind 1, Landin, Överby 1, Laube 1, Johansson 1, Ankermann, Dahmke, Zerbe 4/3, Madsen 3, Bilyk, Skipagotu 11, Imre 1/1, Nacinovic 2
HSV Hamburg: Haug (6 saves), El-Tayar (8 saves); Gadza, Magaard 2, Norlyk 1, Kofler 1, Lassen 4, Jörgensen 6/2, Weller 2, Geenen, Bo Andersen 4/2, Olafsson, Sauter, Mortensen 3/1
Wetzlar did not continue with good performances from the opening three rounds. Momir Ilić’s team lost at home to Lemgo 21:26 (11:13), who, after beating Gummersbach, are announcing serious things this season.
HSG Wetzlar – TBV Lemgo Lippe 21:26 (11:13)
HSG Wetzlar: Suljakovic (10/2 saves), Hendawy; Grahovac, Vistorop 1, Theiß 2/1, Simic 2, Ahouansou 1, Akakpo 1, Schoch, Weimer, Müller 3, Löwen, Zacharias, Cavor 8, Nafea 3/3
TBV Lemgo Lippe: Möstl (5/1), Kastelic (3); Hutecek 2, Theilinger 1, S. Zehnder 2/1, Simak 2, Schagen 4, L. Carstensen 2, Suton 7, Willecke, Versteijnen 6/2, Wagner, Faust, Puls, Bröhl
Not even 17 saves by the brilliant Croatian goalkeeper Matija Špikić were enough for Eisenach to avoid defeat away to Rhein-Neckar Löwen 31:28 (16:11).
Rhein-Neckar Löwen – ThSV Eisenach 31:28 (16:11)
Rhein-Neckar Löwen: Jensen, Späth (10/2 saves); Rohde Larson 2, Timmermeister 1, Nothdurft 5, Jacobsen, Sandell 3, Heymann, Steenaerts, More, Groetzki 4, Thrastarson, Jaganjac 1, Baijens 5, Aspenbäck 6, Kohlbacher 4
ThSV Eisenach: Spikic (17 saves), Heinevetter; Joelsson 5, Reichmuth 1, Beneke 1, Hangstein, Attenhofer 1, Walz 2, Ende, Aellen 5, Meyer 3, Antonijevic, Seitz 7, Kurch, Büchner 1, Leu
Melsungen rescued a point at home against Erlangen 32:32 (13:12), where Miloš Kos was missing. It is already clear that last season’s great performance by the Kassel side will not be repeated.
MT Melsungen – HC Erlangen 32:32 (13:12)
MT Melsungen: Palasics (4 saves), Bartucz (1); Marchan 2, Enderleit 6, Mandic 1, Sipos, Kristopans 9, Ignatow, Drosten 7/4, Arnarsson 1, Soler, Forsell Schefvert 2, I. Guardiola, Kastening 1, Ntanzi 3
HC Erlangen: Ghedbane (2 saves), Quenstedt (5); Genz, Runarsson 4, Nissen 8, Bialowas 3, Överjordet 3, Scheerer 1, Willax, Metzner, Scharnweber, Buck, Steinert 2, V. Kristjansson 8/2, Gebala 3, Sehnke
OTHER RESULTS:
Frisch Auf Göppingen – SC DHfK Leipzig 24:24 (12:13)
Frisch Auf Göppingen: Buchele (2), Saeveraas (1); Neudeck 2, ten Velde 3, Klöve, Goßner, Hofele 3, Hallbäck 3, Persson 3, Schiller 4/3, Jurmala 2, Sunnefeldt, Gislason 1, Newel, Schmidt 3
SC DHfK Leipzig: Ebner (15/1), Mrkva; Piroch 3/1, Krzikalla, Binder 3, Mamic, Lönn 3, Khairi 1, Peter 3, Bogojevic, Gauer, Semper 2, Hinkriksson 4/1, Hertzfeld 5, Koschek
Bergischer HC – GWD Minden 23:30 (8:13)
Bergischer HC: Rudeck (13/1), Diedrich; Beyer 6, Scholtes 2, Becher, Schöttle, Babarskas, Kooij 1, Fraatz 1, Babak, Morante 4, Schmidt, Fuchs 3, Seesing 3, Steinhaus 2, Wasielewski 1
GWD Minden: Semisch (15), Ivanisevic; Diekmann, Kranzmann, Anatanavicius 4, Korte 8/3, Weber 8, Vorlicek, Heitkamp 4, Welle, Staar 2, Bergner 3, Donker 1, Valiullin
