German handball champions SC Magdeburg are still searching for a recipe for success in the Champions League. The team from the city on the Elbe lost 28:32 (16:15) against HBC Nantes in front of 5,301 spectators on Wednesday evening and are only in sixth place in Group B. Magdeburg's top scorer was Omar Ingi Magnusson with seven goals.
Nantes had only 14 players, but still led narrowly after seven minutes (5:3). Magdeburg lost too many balls in offense and some attacks were not completed. Nantes was not able to pull further ahead, although Magdeburg rarely found any means against the quick French side. Instead, the SCM shone with good timing: Magdeburg took the lead with the last attack of the half.
The visitors remained true to their offensive defensive concept after the break and so kept Magdeburg out of their beloved close-range shooting zone. As against Kielce, it was not Magdeburg's finishing that was the problem, but the fact that the home side did not get there often enough - Nantes turned the game around and led by four goals (18:22/42). Magdeburg did not recover from that, repeatedly failing to score against Ivan Pesic in goal and so was no longer able to close the gap.
