Like a conductor in front of his orchestra, conductor Mathias Gidsel gathered his teammates around him on the way to the dressing room and swore the entire team in for the highly emotional season finale. After the 45:35 thumping victory against Gummersbach, the Füchse Berlin are closer than ever to the historic championship title in the German Handball League.
A draw against Rhein-Neckar Löwen on Sunday (3 p.m./Dyn) will be enough for the capital city club to finally fulfill its dream of winning the HBL title after years of waiting.
The Berliners have been looking like champions for months. Seemingly effortlessly, Nils Lichtlein, Tim Freihöfer and Co. have swept aside the competition and regularly cracked the 40-goal mark. "Now we have two fingers on the championship trophy. There are no doubts in our team. We have to put in one more good performance and then we'll be German champions," said Gidsel, making the recipe for success sound seemingly simple.
Gidsel surpasses own record
Berlin has been enthroned at the top of the table since March. After months of power handball with one offensive firework after another, there is no sign of fatigue. Adrenaline and euphoria carry the players. For weeks, rivals and defending champions SC Magdeburg have been hoping in vain for a slip-up from their arch-rivals.
Even a Magdeburg victory against SG BBM Bietigheim might not be enough on Sunday. Because nobody expects the Foxes to slip up. "This squad shows every week that we are an absolute top team. We've been unbeaten for many games, why should this run stop on Sunday just because it's the last Bundesliga game?" Gidsel asked as a rhetorical question.
No one in Berlin is as hot for the title as the world handball player. Gidsel (27) can only surpass himself. The Danish Olympic champion broke his own season record from the previous year with his 264th field goal in a 37:27 victory. "What Gidsel is doing right now can't be compared to anything I've ever seen. I've never seen such dominance from a player," enthused Juri Knorr. Will the German international become a Berlin party crasher in his last game for the Lions?
A victory "for love"
But even the Berliners get nervous at some point. Club boss Bob Hanning knows that too, which is why he expects a "huge challenge" in Mannheim. "I believe that we can do it. Winners don't doubt. Doubters don't win. That's why I never have any doubts," said amateur philosopher Hanning.
This Friday, a relaxed video study and individual sessions, followed by the final training session on Saturday. The Foxes will then embark on their final HBL mission. "The one session won't make us any better. It's all in our heads now. You can do something out of fear and you can do something out of love. That gets you a lot further. We now have to enjoy this together, but with full focus," Hanning appealed to his protégés.
The Berliners already have at least one title to their name. Jaron Siewert received the HBL Coach of the Year award on Thursday evening. Unlike Gidsel, Hanning or sports director Stefan Kretzschmar, the 31-year-old is not a fan of the big headlines. Away from the limelight, the youngest of all HBL coaches is working on the club's masterpiece. And one thing is clear to Siewert: "I would swap this award for the championship in a heartbeat."
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