In the Handball Bundesliga, TVB Stuttgart has managed a sporting surprise. The Swabians defeated the record champions THW Kiel 32:27 (14:16) on Thursday evening. This was their first league victory against the North Germans in 22 attempts. In front of 6,212 spectators in their home Porsche-Arena, Stuttgart turned a halftime deficit into a clear success.
The match was close at first, with THW Kiel going into the break with a small lead. However, the game turned in favor of the hosts in the second half. After the score was 20:20 in the 42nd minute, Stuttgart managed a decisive 8:1 run. During this phase, Kiel made numerous failed shots and lost the ball, which Stuttgart consistently punished.
The outstanding player for Stuttgart was former national player Kai Häfner, who was his team's top scorer with ten goals. He was followed by Simone Mengon and Jakob Nigg, each with seven goals. For THW Kiel, Lukas Zerbe was the most successful with five goals. Kai Häfner also reached a historic milestone by becoming only the fourth player in league history to pass the 2,000 field goals mark.
For coach Filip Jicha's team, this result means another setback in the race to qualify for the Champions League. After the previous clear defeat against VfL Gummersbach, THW Kiel continues to lose ground against the top of the table. Stuttgart, on the other hand, solidified its position in the safe mid-table with this success.
