Top start in Champions League: Bennet Wiegert raves after "fantastic game" against PSG

The Champions League winner leaves no doubt that the title belongs to him alone. In the first game of the new season, SC Magdeburg turned up the heat again. The handball players gave Paris Saint-Germain no chance. Coach Bennet Wiegert was delighted.

Bennet Wiegert was ecstatic. The statement victory, marking the start of the team's title defense, was exactly what the SC Magdeburg coach wanted. "We had a fantastic, fast-paced game in the first half," Wiegert said after the 37-31 (21-17) home victory in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain. The defense, led by goalkeeper Sergey Hernandez, who once again performed outstandingly, received special praise.

Although Magdeburg didn't quite get PSG under control in the first half, they quickly turned things around and became more aggressive in defense. The hosts already led by four goals at halftime. At the break, PSG switched to a 5:1 defense to keep SCM further away from the goal, but Magdeburg found solutions and maintained their lead. Even with the advantage, the visitors couldn't reduce the deficit, but Magdeburg, with the advantage of 1 man power, extended their lead to six goals for the first time. And they held on to it until the final whistle.

Despite the exclamation mark at the start, Wiegert still saw room for improvement. "There are always things we can improve," said the coach of the Bundesliga leaders. Magdeburg struggled with the "sometimes unusual style of Paris" in the early stages, but then top scorer Felix Claar (10 goals) and his teammates really got going in front of 6,182 fans.

"We have our first points in the Champions League – do we want more?" asked Claar – and immediately gave himself the answer: "Sure, we want more, we also want to win every upcoming game. But today was a good start."

SCM can thus look back on a perfect start to the season. Wiegert's team is leading the league with a 6-0 record, and has now followed up with a comfortable victory in the Champions League. Magdeburg's next game is a home game against TVB Stuttgart on Sunday, while the Champions League runners-up will face FC Barcelona in a clash of giants next Thursday.