HSG Wetzlar suffered a disappointing start to the new Handball-Bundesliga season after falling to a narrow 35-33 home defeat against newly promoted Bietigheim on Sunday.
The top-flight handball team from Central Hesse lost 33 to 35 in front of their home supporters in Wetzlar, despite going into the half-time break level at 18-18. Head coach Runar Sigtryggsson and his squad had hoped for a significantly better result to open the campaign, having only narrowly avoided relegation from Germany's top professional division at the end of last season.
A fast-paced and high-scoring contest developed during the first half, producing a total of 36 goals as the attacking lines on both sides dominated play. Both defensive blocks experienced significant problems containing their opponents throughout the opening period. Dominik Mappes finished as the top scorer for Wetzlar with six goals. However, the home side suffered from a clear lack of efficiency in attack after the interval, rendering their eventual defeat well deserved.
Challenging cup draw for Hesse teams
Following their opening league defeat, Wetzlar turned their attention to the second round of the DHB-Pokal, the national knockout cup competition in German handball. The draw for the round was conducted in Gummersbach on Sunday and handed Wetzlar a formidable away assignment against reigning German champions SC Magdeburg in an all-Bundesliga matchup.
Other professional handball clubs from the state of Hesse were also handed demanding ties in the second-round draw. Top-flight side MT Melsungen face another all-Bundesliga fixture after being paired with Rhein-Neckar Löwen. Meanwhile, second-division outfit TV Hüttenberg will host THW Kiel, the record champions of German handball, in a high-profile home match.
The second-round fixtures of the DHB-Pokal will be played across three days from September 22 to September 24. The teams that emerge victorious from those matches will secure a place in the round of 16, which is scheduled to take place on November 11 and November 12.
