“It will be another demanding task against a really good opponent with a lot of quality,” said HBW coach Jens Bürkle of VfL Eintracht Hagen beforehand. But he also makes it clear what he expects from his boys: “After the defeat against Potsdam, we have the right to win again immediately!” Accordingly, he hired his boys and prepared them for the last match of the year. The start of the game with a technical error and a missed shot was still a bit bumpy, but after a double shot by top scorer Oddur Gretarsson to make it 4-2 in the eighth minute, the Gauls got into the game. The Balingen team were initially able to maintain their three-goal lead, but towards the middle of the first half they let too much go in attack. The hosts took advantage of this and, benefiting from a time penalty against HBW, they were able to take a 9:8 lead in the 17th minute of the game.
The VfL and the fans sensed morning air, although the Balingen had turned the result quickly. Outnumbered, Daniel Ingason equalized to make it 10:10 and after a save by goalkeeper Simon Sejr, Moritz Strosack put Balingen back in the lead. Even a time-out for the hosts didn’t change that. Filip Vistorop and 10-time goalscorer Gretarsson gave the Gauls another three-goal lead and it stayed that way until the half-time break, thanks to some great saves from HBW keeper Sejr.
After the half-time break, the Gauls increased their lead to 16:12 with another goal from Lukas Saueressig, and they confidently managed this lead. Even with a majority, the hosts were no longer able to shorten decisively. The Balingen defense stood and what Felix Danner and Co could not defend away was often prey to goalkeeper Sejr, who achieved an outstanding rate of more than 42 percent. Captain Danner and left winger Gretarsson made the first preliminary decision until the 41st minute of the game. Eintracht coach Stefan Neff tried again with a break to get the Gauls out of step, but with moderate success. The table leader extended his lead to 18:26 (48th min.).
With his 100th goal of the season, the eighth of the game, Oddur Gretarsson finally put the lid on the game in the 51st minute. No one seriously believed that Hagen could turn the game again. HBW trainer Jens Bürkle made a number of changes in the final phase – gave each of his players a few more minutes before they celebrated the well-deserved away win after the final whistle, together with the fans who had made the long journey to Hagen could.
Statistics:
VfL Eintracht Hagen: Maurice Paske, Mats Grzesinski (TW) – Theo Guenter Buergin, Pouya Norouzinezhad 7, Tilman Pröhl 1, Valentin Schmidt 4/3, Julian Renninger, Kim Voss-Fels 1, Valentin Spohn 6, Jan-Lars Gaubatz 1, Frederik Stüber 2, Tim Stefan 5, Josip Jukic, Luca Richter, Pierre Busch 2
HBW Balingen-Weilstetten: Philip Vistorop 3, Elias Huber 1, Daniel Ingason 2, Guilherme Linhares de Souza 1, Oddur Gretarsson 10/4, Felix Danner 4, Tim Hildenbrand, Jona Schoch, Lukas Saueressig 5, Tobias Heinzelmann , Moritz Strosack
Those: HBW Balingen-Weilstetten / Foto: Roeczey
