Before the Final Four in the Champions League, defending champions SC Magdeburg once again have to worry about their player Gisli Kristjansson. The 24-year-old Icelander had to leave the court after just 19 minutes of Thursday evening's 34:21 win at Rhein-Neckar Löwen after being stopped in mid-air by Germany international Jannik Kohlbacher and then landing hard on his back.
The Löwen's circle player was then shown the red card after a video check by the referees. Kristjansson was able to leave the court on his own and initially received treatment on the touchline, but he did not return to the game. The SCM camp reported that it was probably a bruise. It was still too early for a precise diagnosis.
The Icelander already caused a stir in last year's Champions League Final Four. The playmaker dislocated his shoulder in the semi-final against FC Barcelona. He was ruled out of the final. After all, it was the backcourt player's throwing shoulder. 24 hours later, he was on the court in the final after doing a stress test in another hall in the morning. "My shoulder is full of painkillers, our team doctor is actually the MVP," said Kristjansson at the time. After the 30:29 after overtime in the final thriller against Kielce, where he even scored six goals in the final, he was named the most valuable player of the tournament.
