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1. FCS Tischtennis keeps its slate clean to win an epic match against Mainz
On Friday evening (8 December 2023), 1. FC Saarbrücken Tischtennis managed a narrow 3:2 victory over 1. FSV Mainz 05 in front of a home crowd. The Saarbrücken team showed nerve and fighting spirit in an exciting match that went to the wire. This success saw the Saarland players retain their lead of the Tischtennis Bundesliga (TTBL) table after nine days of play.
In the final singles match of the evening, Yuto Muramatsu – a former Mainz player now on the FCS TT team – won an exciting five-set battle against Carlo Rossi 3:2 after fighting back from 0:2 down. In the second singles game, Yongyin Li put on a good performance against Cedric Nuytinck and equalised to 1:1 for Mainz. Patrick Franziska fought Luka Mladenovic for four sets and put Saarbrücken back in the lead. In the fourth singles match of the evening, it was once again Mainz player Li who levelled things to 2:2 for his team in an exciting four-set match against Muramatsu.
The final doubles match was then the decider, with excitement abounding. The left-handed/right-handed combination of Nuytinck/Franziska faced right-handed pair Mladenovic/Rossi. The Mainz players won the first set, but the Saarbrücken team immediately won the next two. Mainz equalised in the fourth set and forced a deciding fifth, after which Nuytinck/Franziska displayed their class, and after playing for three hours and forty minutes, converted a match point to win 3:2 overall for the Saarland team. On Thursday (14 December) the team under captain Patrick Franziska will once again be lining up for the Champions League in front of a home crowd. From 7 p.m. onwards, 1. FCS TT will be facing AS Pontoise Cergy of France in the pivotal first leg of the fight to win the group. The final group game will then be in France on 21 December. In between, on Sunday (17 December) the Saarbrücken players will once again be facing Werder Bremen for a Bundesliga match.
SV Elversberg ends historic year with a home game dampener
On Sunday (10 December 2023), SVE unfortunately suffered a 0:1 defeat against 1. FC Nürnberg in their last home game of the year at the URSAPHARM Arena on Kaiserlinde. In a game initially marked by countless fouls and interrupted play, the team under Horst Steffen were not able to put their usual offensive football (now famed across the league) into play and coolly make use of the opportunities they were given. The Nuremberg team did have this coolness and managed to score shortly before the end of the game for a flattering 1:0 victory. More details in our post-match report.
Nevertheless, the SVE fans celebrated their team for their commitment, a strong pre-season performance in the 2. Bundesliga, and a historic year for SVE. In their last game of the year on Sunday (17 December), an away match against Karlsruher SC, SVE will be seeking a positive result to round off a magnificent year of football.
Füchse Berlin with two very different home games and a legendary goal scorer
Füchse Berlin enjoyed a very special EHF European League home win last Tuesday (5 December 2023). In front of 3922 spectators, the team beat HC Izvidac 32:23 (16:15) to win the fifth and last preliminary game of the EHF European League. Füchse Berlin played a completely reshaped team: the capital’s club began their last group game without eight well-established pros, instead allowing numerous young talents to make their professional or European League debuts. Victor Kireev celebrated his return to goal, with great conviction.
This was a successful evening for Füchse and its young talent, with all the new arrivals scoring and contributing to the positive image of Füchse Berlin’s youth work. The Berlin team has managed a clean sweep into the main round, which will begin in February. Füchse’s best scorer was Tim Freihöfer with six goals, and Victor Kireev saved 16 balls.
Things continued on Sunday (10 December) in the Max-Schmeling-Halle against Frisch Auf! Göppingen in the LIQUI MOLY HBL. In a home game to 7918 spectators, Füchse Berlin drew 29:29 (14:15) against Frisch Auf! Göppingen to share the points. In an exciting and well-balanced game, the capital’s team took the lead several times, including three minutes before the end when they were three goals ahead. However, their opponents always managed to equalise, leaving the final result a draw. Füchse remain on equal points with SC Magdeburg at the top of the board, as SCM also finished their match in Melsungen with a draw.
The Berlin team’s best scorer was Mathias Gidsel with nine goals, and Hans Lindberg scored a very special goal – his 3000th in the league. His seven-metre goal to bring things to 3:3 was also his 3000th goal in the Handball Bundesliga league and thus another milestone in his incomparable career, as well as a record that is not likely to be broken any time soon.
Saarlouis Royals’s winning streak broken
On Sunday (10 December 2023), the Saarlouis Royals narrowly lost 62:57 to Eigner Angels Nördlingen in an away game for the 1. Damen-Basketball-Bundesliga (DBBL), bringing their brief winning streak to an end.
A few days previously on 6 December (St. Nicolas Day), the Saarland team had another cup thriller in front of a home crowd against Eisvögel USC Freiburg, winning 94:86 and thus securing a place in the German cup quarter finals.
In their league game on Sunday in Nördlingen, the hosts had pulled nine points ahead at nearly halfway through the final quarter. The timeout called by the Royals failed to have the desired effect. The Saarland team immediately staged a comeback with a successful three-point throw. Barely 90 seconds before the end, the Royals reduced the gap to 57:58 with another successful three-pointer. It was all to play for. After a minute with no points scored by either team, Lisa Bertholdt secured a 62:57 victory for the home team with two converted free throws, forcing the Saarlouis players to return home empty-handed.
On Sunday (17 December) the Saarlouis Royals will be hosting the women of BC Pharmaserv Marburg at the Stadtgarten Halle in Saarlouis for the eleventh day of play in the Bundesliga.
German Giant – Gabriel Clemens ready for the world championships
Wednesday (7 December 2023) saw a press conference being hosted at URSAPHARM with Saarland darts pro Gabriel ‘German Giant’ Clemens and Werner von Moltke, founder of PDC Europe, to discuss the upcoming World Darts Championship taking place in the legendary Ally Pally, Alexandra Palace in London, from Friday 15 December to 03 January.
Gaga will compete in his first match in the evening of 21 December. As a seeded player in the top 32, he will enter the tournament in the second round. The German Giant is relaxed about the world championships, even if the general public is trying to hype him up as a tournament favourite.
To find out what the darts pro had to say and hear some interesting insights and viewpoints from Werner von Moltke about darts in Germany, PDC Europe, and also the Olympics, you can watch the entire press conference here via HYLO® News.
We are looking forward to upcoming appearances from our #hyloathletes and wish all of our HYLO® partners much luck and success.