Füchse’s players, led by Mathias Gidsel, jumped up and down in a celebratory huddle after the final whistle, while the fans in the stands roared with delight. The German champions, led by World Handballer of the Year Gidsel, extinguished any hopes of an upset by surprise package Bergischer HC, cruising to a 42–33 (22–17) win in the lopsided Final Four showpiece in Cologne and matching their sole 2014 DHB Cup triumph.
Getty Images"It's unbelievable that we achieved this this weekend," Gidsel told ARD. "Winning the cup for the club for the first time in twelve years makes me extremely proud and means everything to me."
Gidsel, who claimed his first title at Cologne’s Lanxess Arena, delivered nine goals in front of 19,750 fans. Yet the match’s top scorer was his Danish compatriot Lasse Andersson, who notched ten goals in the highest-scoring cup final in history. A late first-half surge effectively sealed the victory, and the favourites dominated the second period.
Following the club’s first league title and its run to the Champions League final last year, this triumph is another milestone in the capital club’s recent rise. The winners also collect 200,000 euros in prize money.
For BHC, who had sensationally defeated Champions League winners SC Magdeburg in a penalty shoot-out thriller in Saturday’s semi-final, the dream of a major upset ended in their first ever final appearance. Nevertheless, simply reaching the decider meant the team from Wuppertal and Solingen still wrote the weekend’s most compelling story.
“I managed to get to sleep around 2 a.m., but that’s no excuse. Full throttle today,” BHC player Noah Beyer told ARD just before tip-off, having converted the decisive penalty in Saturday’s semi-final. He added, “We’re ready to do exactly the same thing again as we did yesterday.”
Füchse Berlin displayed real killer instinct against BHC.
Bergisch started nervously and were fortunate not to trail by three goals early on. Sören Steinhaus’s strike to make it 5–5 in the 7th minute briefly restored parity. Nevertheless, Füchse dictated the tempo and opened up a 13–10 lead (18th minute), their first three-goal cushion.
“We’re conceding a lot of quick goals; we need to make sure we organise our defence better,” demanded BHC coach Markus Pütz during his first time-out. Even without the outstanding defence they’d shown on Saturday, the newly promoted side fought their way back to within a single goal on two occasions, at 14–13 (21’) and 17–16 (27’).
A 5–1 burst then restored the five-goal cushion. “The BHC will need a perfect second half to dream of winning,” declared national coach Alfred Gislason on ARD.
Despite their spirited fight, the visitors never seriously threatened to bridge the gap. Unlike SCM the previous day, the Füchse, inspired by the dominant Nils Lichtlein, showed clinical resolve: Max Darj’s 34–26 strike in the 47th minute stretched the margin to eight goals and effectively sealed the outcome.
SC Magdeburg had already missed out on the consolation prize. “Am I worried? Of course,” admitted coach Bennet Wiegert after the 31:35 (15:16) loss to TBV Lemgo Lippe in the third-place play-off. While the league title is virtually secured, the form on show over the weekend suggests a return to Cologne for the Champions League Final Four in June is unlikely.
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