Thüringer HC misses out on final

For the Bundesliga handball players of Thüringer HC, the dream of winning their eighth German championship title is over. The team of Head Coach Herbert Müller was beaten 28:34 (13:17) at HB Ludwigsburg in the decisive third semi-final game and so missed out on a place in the playoff final.

Even eight goals by top scorer Johanna Reichert did not help the THC in the end. Guro Nestaker scored nine times for the favored Ludwigsburg side in front of 1,474 spectators. However, the season is not yet over for the Thuringians. They face Borussia Dortmund next Saturday in the match for third place.

THC only temporarily on a good level

The THC took an early 2:0 lead in Ludwigsburg thanks to two seven-meter goals, but the hosts subsequently dominated with their aggressive defense and high tempo in attack. The German champions opened up a 5:2 gap (8th minute) with five goals in succession.

After a timeout by Müller, the visitors stabilized in defense and now also found good solutions in offense. They scored their first goal from outside in the tenth minute and Anna Szabo crowned THC's strongest spell with a 9:8 lead in the 17th minute.

However, the Thuringians were not able to maintain that level for long. The favorites pulled four goals ahead by the break - also because Johanna Bundsen won the goalkeeping duel against Dinah Eckerle.

Ludwigsburg pulls ten goals ahead

The THC's hopes of catching up in the second half were quickly dashed. Ludwigsburg got off to a furious start after the break and increased the lead to 26:16 by the 41st minute against a Thuringia side that was overstretched defensively. Although the European League champions did not give up, they did not manage to do more than make up the deficit.