Magdeburg eliminated Barcelona, double holder of the Champions League handball, on Saturday in the semi-finals in Cologne on penalties (2-1, 38-38 at the end of regulation time) after snatching the extension six seconds from the end. The hero of the Germans, who were making their return to the Final Four after a nine-year absence, is their goalkeeper Mike Jensen, who stopped the penalty kicks from Hampus Wanne, Dika Mem and Ludovic Fabregas (Melvyn Richardson also missed his attempt) , before Magnus Saugstrup qualified his team for the final on Sunday against PSG or Kielce, who clashed in stride.
Barça, beaten in a penalty shootout that smiled on them last year in the final (against Kielce), will not be the first club to achieve the hat-trick since the establishment of the Final Four in 2010. Magdeburg, which will aim his fourth Champions League on Sunday (after 1978, 1981 and 2002), went through all the states in the last three minutes of regulation time. He first lost his playmaker, Icelandic Gisli Kristjansson (stunned after a shock with Thiagus Petrus), before equalizing six seconds from the end thanks to Dutchman Kay Smits to snatch extra time.
The Germans, already winners against Barça in the final of the last two Super Globes (club world championship), can also thank Michael Damgaard who stopped Blaz Janc’s quick shot just in front of his end zone which seemed to be on target while their goalkeeper Nikola Portner did not seem in place. In extra time, Magdeburg had a two-goal lead at half-time (35-33) before the Catalans returned, thanks in particular to Timothey Nguessan (three goals). A futile return.