Red Card for Kubes - TBV Loses

TBV draws the short straw at Göppingen

The TBV had to succumb to a 32-28 (15-14) loss at Frisch Auf Göppingen despite a strong first half and thus has lost, for now, contact with the league leaders.

The TBV started in defence: Volker Mudrow started with Martin Galia in goal, Bechtloff and Schmetz on the outside, Ilyés and Glandorf at left and right half and Svavarsson and Kubes in the middle. By the second minute, the game had already ended for Daniel Kubes. He hit Christian Schöne in the face as he ran out of the middle and was disqualified by Schaller/Wutzler. Ilyés moved to the inside on defence, Strobel who had been playing on attack now covered half of the back court while on attack, Kraus now played in place of Kubes. The TBV proved to be anything but shocked by developments and pulled away to a 4-2 lead after six minutes. Coverage was especially strong and prevented Kaufmann and Thiede from opening up.

Enid Tahirovic kept his team in the game when in the eighth minute, he was able to deflect a 7-metre by Kraus off the crossbar. But on the other end of the floor, Galia displayed superb form when he sparred all alone with Kaufmann. During the rather emphatic play by both sides, Göppingen parlayed some bad fortune and lack of concentration by the TBV to put themselves in front, 5-4 (10th minute). The TBV hit the post in its counterattack after which Glandorf promptly tied things up with his first goal of the game. After that, the fans in the EWS Arena saw an evenly matched game. The TBV played with great concentration and conviction, Frisch Auf could hardly find a way to score and the TBV, for its part, failed on attack to find a way to re-establish their lead, mostly because they were too hasty in concluding their attacks. After 18:59 minutes, FAG coach Velimir Petkovic called a time-out with the TBV leading, 9-7. Beautifully set up, Holger Glandorf's throw from the left back court made it 10-8 but Mark Schmetz scored right away on a counterattack, making it 11-8 (21.). At that point, Tamas Mocsai relieved Martin Strobel on attack, Kraus moved to the left back court and Mocsai directed the action.

In the 24th minute, it was once again Glandorf who scored from back court to make it 12-9; his goal came once again from the left side of the attack. The counter by Bechtloff to 13-9 once again reflected the superiority of the TBV. While holding a man advantage, however, the TBV made two technical errors and Göppingen reduced the lead to 13-11. Volker Mudrow now took his time out. At this point, 26:01 had been played. After that, Martin Strobel made it 14-11 with his first goal (28.), then Schaller/Wutzler sent Ferenc Ilyés off the floor for two minutes but in spite of this, the TBV was the decidedly better team during this period. Twenty seconds before the siren sounded ending the first half, however, Göppingen used a counterattack opportunity to make it 15-14. The TBV could have gone into the dressing room with a considerably greater lead but because of a brief but decisively weak stretch, it had to content itself with a one-goal lead.

The first goal after intermission went to the Göppingen team as Späth scored to tie it at 15-15 (33.). The young pivot was also responsible for putting the FAG back in front as he was able to overpower Galia on a counterattack. Back on attack, the TBV was unable to work up a head of steam and could not generate any pressure. Nevertheless, it was Schmetz who made it 18-18 (35.) on a counterattack. Strobel now substituted for Mocsai at the pivot position, the TBV began to show some will and determination with the bitter Flensburg defeat still fresh in their memories.

In the 40th minute, Carsten Lichtlein hit between the posts on a 7-meter, parried immediately against Haaß but Göppingen remained in control of the ball. Then, rather surprisingly, Florian Kehrmann came on the floor, despite his triple nasal bone fracture, focused on Kaufmann in defence and, in attack, substituted at first for Svavarsson in the pivot. The match was wide open at this point. Kraus scored with a floor throw in the 43rd minute to make it 21-21; then, Metz even put the TBV into the lead, 22-21 with a counterattacking goal under pressure. It went back and forth, Thiede scored for Göppingen to make it 23-22, Glandorf countered with the equalizer (45.). Everything suggested the final score was going to be close. But at 26-24, Göppingen was ahead for the first time by two goals. During this part of the game, TBV's only offensive showing came from Kraus who cut the lead to 26-25.

While having a man advantage, a simple technical failure by the TBV followed. Schöne capitalized making it 28-25 against the only just inserted Carsten Lichtlein. While shorthanded, all the chances went to Göppingen and because Schweickardt did not want to accept the offensive foul called against his team, he was sent off the floor for whinging too much. Volker Mudrow reacted by placing his green card on the timekeeper's table; 53:29 had been played. Glandorf's 28-27 during a passive early warning left the TBV with every chance to win but Thiede got a very lucky score to make it 29-27 (56.).

Glandorf shot just wide in the sequence that followed and now the game seemed to turn completely in favor of the home team. With two and a half minutes left, Svavarsson got free for a throw from the circle but once more, a post got in the way. At the other end, Göppingen was awarded a 7-metre. 58:04 had been played when Schweickardt was stopped by Lichtlein but he got the rebound and it was now 30-27. The die was cast. The next display of brilliance from Lichtlein was only good for the statistics as Thiede and Kaufmann scored two countering goals to make the final score 32-28, surely a score higher than deserved. In the second half, the TBV no longer displayed its dominance and consistency, so that the victory of the Göppingers was, in the final analysis, a deserved one.