After losing in Berlin two weeks ago the Rhein-Neckar Löwen had a tough task ahead travelling to Wetzlar, where the HSG was waiting. After 60 tough minutes the guests took home two very important points, to say the least, on their way to their first ever league championship, winning 23-19 (10-11), thanks to an outstanding second half by Andy Schmid. The Swiss playmaker, held without a goal before the break, scored five times in the final 15 minutes, silencing all his critics who had doubted his ability to lead a team to a title.
But instead of celebrating wildly after the final whistle the lions faces were full of relief, as Wetzlar was seen as the toughest opponent left on their way to finish in first place. So it was no surprise that Schmid himself was as calm as ever in the post-game interview: “We have to be honest, this one was very tough, but we are still four points away from the title. Two more wins and then we can celebrate.”
Statistics:
HSG Wetzlar: Holst (6/3), Fäth (4), Kohlbacher (4), Lipovina (2), Mirkolovski (2), Rompf (1)
Rhein-Neckar Löwen: Schmid (7), Ekdahl du Rietz (5), Gensheimer (3/3), Petersson (3), Groetzki (2), Pekeler (2), Mensah (1)
Spectators: 4.421 (sold out)
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