The Thüringer HC women's handball team is once again gunning for the European League title. At the Final Four in Dijon, France, the defending champions defeated top Danish club Viborg HK 26:24 (11:10) in the first semi-final. Johanna Reichert and Josefine Hanfland were the Bundesliga club's best scorers with five goals each.
Both teams started the game very error-prone. However, the Thuringians shook off their nervousness more quickly and scored four goals in succession to take a 6:3 lead (14th minute). Viborg then injected far more dynamism into its attacking moves. The THC fought back and led narrowly at the break.
After the changeover, the team of Head Coach Herbert Müller was no longer able to control the tempo of the game. The Danes grew stronger and stronger and took a 21:19 lead by the 48th minute. However, the Thuringians did not allow themselves to be unsettled. Goalkeeper Laura Kuske made strong saves to spark a 5:1 run by the German club to make it 24:22 in the 55th minute. Viborg equalized once more before Natuski Aizawa made it 25:24 for the THC with 76 seconds remaining. Viborg's last attack came to nothing and Hanfland made the final decision at the other end.
