Thrilling eastern duel: DHfK handball players give away victory

The Bundesliga handball team SC DHfK Leipzig recklessly gave away their first competitive win in ten years against ThSV Eisenach in the East German duel. The team of Head Coach Frank Carstens squandered a three-goal lead in the final phase and had to settle for a 29:29 (15:13) win.

While Leipzig remains in a relegation spot with 10:40 points, Eisenach (18:34) picked up its first point in its 13th away game this season. "I'm proud of the boys, they kept their heads up and fought their way through," said ThSV coach Sebastian Hinze on Dyn. Leipzig's goalkeeper Domenico Ebner, on the other hand, was unhappy: "We're very dissatisfied. We lack cleverness. We just can't get it over the finish line."

National player Semper extends his contract regardless of league

The Leipzig fans only had reason to cheer shortly before kick-off when it was announced that national player Franz Semper had clarified his future. The 28-year-old has extended his contract until 2030 regardless of the league and would therefore remain with the Saxons even in the event of relegation.

Semper - DHfK's top scorer with a total of eight goals - got off to a furious start in the East derby and consistently exploited the gaps in Eisenach's defensive center. He scored four goals after just nine minutes. Eisenach initially kept up the high tempo, but made an increasing number of technical mistakes from the middle of the first half. The home side pulled away to 14:10 (21st minute), but then lost the thread in offense and allowed the Thuringians to close the gap again by the break.

Eisenach still misses the chance to win

The club from Leipzig also struggled to get back into its fast-paced game after the break. Ebner, who replaced the hapless Tomas Mrkva in goal after the break, initially prevented the game from tipping over with strong saves. Eisenach, however, remained more effective and equalized in the 50th minute to make it 22:22. Led by veteran Dean Bombac, Leipzig pulled 29:26 ahead again in the 57th minute, but even that cushion was not enough. Eisenach equalized again and even had the chance to win with its final attack.