MT Melsungen won its first ever Champions League handball match on Thursday evening, beating Vardar Skopje 33-31 at the Rothenbach-Halle in Kassel.
The German club, based in the town of Melsungen in northern Hesse, had never played in the competition before this season. It showed no sign of nerves against Vardar Skopje, the Macedonian side it faced in its opening group game.
Fast start in Kassel
A crowd of 2,437 watched the two teams trade goals from the first whistle, with ten goals scored in the opening ten minutes and Melsungen taking a 6-4 lead. The home side could not build a bigger cushion and had to stay alert throughout the rest of the half.
Backcourt player Reynir Thor Stefansson said it had been a hard, tough game against a good opponent, and that at this level the team knew it would not be easy against Vardar.
Goalkeeper Nebojsa Simic, who has been a key figure for Melsungen in recent months, made two saves shortly before the half-time siren to keep his team ahead 16-15 going into the break.
Second-half surge
Melsungen came out of the break firing. Six minutes into the second half, the team scored five goals in just 123 seconds to move the score to 25-20.
Vardar Skopje coach Ivan Cupic, who won the Champions League with Skopje in 2019 under Roberto Garcia Parrondo, the man now coaching Melsungen, reacted furiously on the sideline. His words seemed to have an effect. Backed by a large group of Macedonian supporters, Vardar Skopje fought back to trail just 28-27 with ten minutes left to play.
Parrondo said afterwards that this was the Champions League, that every team was very good, and that winning was never easy.
Melsungen holds on
Melsungen held firm under pressure. Simic again produced two crucial saves, while Stefansson, Dainis Kristopans and Florian Drosten extended the lead to 31-27, putting the result beyond doubt as the home side saw out the win.
Stefansson credited the home crowd for the result, saying thanks to the fans and calling it a special evening. Even Cupic, the losing coach, praised the atmosphere, saying it had been great and had led to a deserved win for Melsungen.
One step toward the next round
The Champions League group phase runs to six matches in total. Melsungen's stated goal is to reach the competition's intermediate round, which requires finishing in the top two of its four-team group.
Parrondo was quick to stress that Thursday's win was only the first step. He said this had been just the first game, and that the team would need many more performances like it to make it through to the next phase.
Melsungen's next Champions League match comes on Thursday, September 17, away against Orlen Wisla Plock in Poland, a side considered the weakest opponent in the group on paper. The source suggests Melsungen is unlikely to underestimate that fixture, but the team can take plenty of confidence from how it handled its first taste of Europe's top handball competition.
