Magdeburg came from behind to win the big derby against Füchse Berlin and remain perfect
SC Magdeburg opened the home part of the season with a victory in one of the biggest derbies in German handball. The reigning German champions defeated Füchse Berlin 36:32 in the second round of the Bundesliga, played on 3 September 2026 in the sold-out GETEC Arena in Magdeburg, in front of 6,600 spectators. The visitors from Berlin, winners of the German Cup and last season's runners-up, led 14:13 at half-time, but coach Bennet Wiegert's team raised the tempo after the break, took control and preserved the advantage in the closing stages. According to SC Magdeburg's official report, the home side reached four points from their first two league appearances with that victory. Füchse, according to the club report, remained on a record of one win and one defeat after the loss, or two points.
The match had all the elements that have characterised meetings between the two German handball giants in recent seasons: strong defences, a high level of contact, tactical adjustments, changes of pace and several very important goalkeeper saves. The game was also marked by two direct red cards. Berlin's Frederik Simak was shown a red card just before the half-time break, while Magdeburg's Gísli Kristjánsson was sent off in the 53rd minute. Despite that, the closing stages did not bring a comeback for the visitors. Magdeburg withstood the pressure, continued to find solutions in attack and confirmed the victory with a 36:32 scoreline.
Berlin took the lead after a difficult start
The opening minutes belonged to Magdeburg, who slowed down Berlin's attack through a solid defence and an in-form goalkeeper Matej Mandić. According to the home club's official report, Magdeburg led 5:2 in the 12th minute, and Mandić was one of the key reasons during that period why Füchse struggled to score. At the same time, the home side were also unable to fully capitalise on their good defence because Lasse Ludwig made a series of quality saves at the other end. As a result, Magdeburg did not pull away to a margin that would have allowed them a calmer continuation, and Berlin gradually began to find more effective solutions.
Coach Nicolej Krickau's team used a seven-player attack without a goalkeeper, trying to use the numerical advantage on court to stretch Magdeburg's defence and open space at the line. That approach produced results: Füchse equalised at 7:7 by the 19th minute and then took the initiative. Berlin's official report states that Matthes Langhoff, Mathias Gidsel and their teammates improved their efficiency in the second part of the first half, while Ludwig continued to perform at a high level. Berlin built a three-goal advantage late in the first half and led 14:11 in the 28th minute. Magdeburg nevertheless reduced the deficit, and the teams went into the break with the visitors holding a narrow 14:13 lead.
An important moment occurred just before the half-time siren, when Frederik Simak received a direct red card after a foul. His departure was significant not only because of the rotation but also because of the role he played in the middle of Berlin's defence. After the match, Krickau emphasised that his team had controlled the game very well in the first half and that Simak's dismissal was a serious blow to the defensive structure. Berlin nevertheless went into the break with the lead, but the balance of power visibly changed after the interval.
Magdeburg increased the pace and took control of the game
After the break, the home side played more directly and at a higher tempo. According to Sportschau's report and official club data, Magdeburg equalised very quickly and then regained the lead midway through the first five minutes of the second half. Dominik Kuzmanović also played an important role in that phase, coming into goal and helping the home side transfer energy from defence into transition with several saves. Magdeburg began to punish Berlin's turnovers and inaccurate finishes, while Kristjánsson, Albin Lagergren and Magnus Saugstrup increasingly found space in the centre and on the line.
At 22:19 in the 40th minute, it was already clear that the game had changed direction. Magdeburg continued to increase the lead, and at one point Saugstrup scored to make it a six-goal margin. Sportschau states that the home side reached 26:20 midway through the second half, putting Berlin in a position where they had to speed up their attack and take more risks than in the first 30 minutes. Füchse tried to restore their rhythm through Gidsel, Mijajlo Marsenić and Langhoff, but Magdeburg had an answer to every serious attempt to close the gap. The home side entered the final ten minutes with an advantage that gave them control, although the contest was not yet completely decided.
A new complication for Magdeburg came in the 53rd minute, when Kristjánsson received a red card. Berlin then had an opportunity to put additional pressure on the home side and reduce the difference, but SC Magdeburg did not lose their organisation. Philipp Weber scored two important goals in the closing stages, and the home side maintained enough attacking stability to prevent a dramatic finish. The final 36:32 scoreline shows that Magdeburg scored 23 goals in the second 30 minutes, ten more than in the first half. It was precisely that jump in attacking efficiency that was the key to victory.
Lagergren and Saugstrup led the champions, Gidsel set a club record
In Magdeburg's well-distributed attacking performance, Albin Lagergren and Magnus Saugstrup stood out in particular with seven goals each. Felix Claar added six, Kristjánsson five, and Matthias Musche four goals, three of them from seven-metre throws, according to the official statistics published after the match. That distribution was important because Magdeburg did not depend on a single source of goals. When Berlin closed down the backcourt, the home side found Saugstrup on the line; when the defence had to narrow the space, Lagergren and Claar gained more opportunities to finish from the backcourt or by breaking through.
For Füchse, Mathias Gidsel scored seven goals, while Marsenić and Langhoff added six each. Tobias Grøndahl finished the match with five goals, and Tim Freihöfer with four, three of them from seven-metre throws. Lasse Ludwig collected ten saves and was one of the main reasons why Berlin were able to take the lead in the first half. In the second half, however, Magdeburg significantly improved their conversion rate and increasingly created quality positions before the Berlin goalkeeper could influence the outcome of the attacks.
Despite the defeat, Gidsel reached a significant personal milestone. According to Füchse Berlin's official announcement, with his 1,003rd Bundesliga goal from open play he overtook Fabian Wiede and became the club record holder in that category. The record came in the 28th minute, during a period when the visitors had control of the score. For Berlin, that was one of the few reasons for satisfaction after the match, as the individual achievement of their top scorer was not enough to earn points. Gidsel's performance nevertheless confirms how important he is to the team's attacking structure, especially in matches where space has to be created through individual duels.
Magdeburg's second triumph over Berlin in less than two weeks
The Bundesliga victory was Magdeburg's second success against Füchse in a very short period. Only 12 days earlier, on 22 August, the same teams met in the Rexel Super Cup in Munich. According to official data from the German handball league, Magdeburg won 38:31 in the sold-out SAP Garden after leading 20:15 at half-time. It was the club's first Super Cup in 25 years and their third overall, after titles in 1996 and 2001.
Those two results further underline the current importance of the rivalry. Magdeburg enter the 2026/27 season as defending German champions, while Berlin are the current DHB-Pokal winners and the team that finished as Bundesliga runners-up the previous season. In June, the clubs also met at the Champions League final tournament in Cologne, where Füchse defeated Magdeburg 40:35 in the semi-final. The EHF reported at the time that Berlin had reached their second consecutive Champions League final, while Magdeburg were left without the chance to defend their European title. Because of the frequency of such important head-to-head meetings, every new encounter carries additional tactical and psychological weight.
Magdeburg have found a more successful model in their last two meetings this season. In the Super Cup, they controlled the game almost from the start, while in the league derby they had to win from a completely different position after trailing at half-time. That is an important signal for Wiegert's team because it shows an ability to adapt during the game. Berlin, on the other hand, can take confirmation from the first 30 minutes that their seven-player attack and solid defence can seriously disrupt Magdeburg, but they will have to find a way to maintain that level for longer and respond better to the opponent's changes.
Wiegert satisfied with the response after the break, Krickau sees decisive details
After the match, Bennet Wiegert pointed out that Magdeburg had started well but had not made enough use of their opportunities in the first half. According to the club's official statement, the coaching staff analysed Berlin's seven-against-six play further at half-time and adjusted their approach. Wiegert emphasised that the match then turned into a faster contest with a lot of transition play, in which his team managed to retain control. Particularly important was the home side's ability to stay composed after Kristjánsson's dismissal late in the match, when Berlin still had a theoretical chance to come back.
Krickau, for his part, assessed that Berlin had played a hard-fought 60 minutes and had been very good defensively in the first half. In the club analysis, he stated that Simak's red card made the continuation more difficult and that details and lost individual duels were decisive in the second half. At the same time, he acknowledged that Magdeburg deserved to win because they made better use of the second phase of attack and found solutions when the game accelerated. That assessment also matches the flow of the match: Berlin prepared the opening tactically well, but after the break Magdeburg had a broader range of answers.
Perfect start for the champions, Berlin already facing another away trip
For Magdeburg, the victory is worth more than prestige in a direct duel with one of their main rivals. The reigning champions opened the season with a 33:31 away victory against VfL Gummersbach on 30 August, and with the success against Berlin they moved to a maximum four points. Both matches were relatively close, showing that the start of the league campaign has not been routine, but Bennet Wiegert's team found enough quality in key moments to maintain a perfect record. Their next league challenge comes on 6 September away to HBW Balingen-Weilstetten, according to the official schedule.
Füchse Berlin began the new league season with a 33:31 home victory against MT Melsungen, but in Magdeburg they were left without points for the first time. After two rounds they have 2:2 points, and the schedule gives them little time for recovery and analysis. As early as 6 September, they travel to TVB Stuttgart at the Porsche Arena. For a team that simultaneously has ambitions in domestic competitions and Europe, such a rhythm from the start of the season creates a need for a deep rotation and rapid adjustment after physically demanding matches.
The Magdeburg derby therefore already provided, at the beginning of September, a measure of the form of two teams expected to be near the top of German handball. Berlin showed that they can slow down the champions, force them into errors and lead after 30 minutes, but Magdeburg demonstrated greater stability and a wider range of solutions in the second half. The home side remained without a dropped point after two matches, while Füchse must quickly shift their focus to the next challenge. Given the results of their most recent major head-to-head matches, it is highly likely that every new meeting between Magdeburg and Berlin will continue to have a direct impact on the battle for the most important trophies.
Sources:
- SC Magdeburg – official match report, course of the game, result, attendance and basic statistics (link)
- SC Magdeburg – coach statements and official player statistics after the derby (link)
- Füchse Berlin – official report, Gidsel's club record, line-ups, statistics and preview of the next match (link)
- Opel Handball-Bundesliga – official data on the 2026 Rexel Super Cup and Magdeburg's 38:31 victory (link)
- Opel Handball-Bundesliga – official schedule for the start of the 2026/27 season and dates of the opening rounds (link)
- Sportschau – additional verification of the course of the second half and key scoring phases of the derby (link)
- European Handball Federation (EHF) – context of the June Champions League semi-final between Berlin and Magdeburg (link)