HB Käerjeng won the match in Dudelange 28:24. The Greens showed enormous commitment and determination, denying Kim Wirtz a fairytale ending in the final home match of her career. The first final had gone to HBD 24:20.
Käerjeng were in the match from the start and showed a completely different body language in defence compared to last week. The visitors led for the entire first half, benefiting not only from a solid defence but also another strong performance from goalkeeper Jurcevic, while Daria Milek found her scoring touch early on, netting three goals in the opening 10 minutes (7:4).
Dudelange responded after 12 minutes with man-to-man defence.
The home side struggled to find its footing. They neither came up with attacking solutions, nor did they defend well enough to cause Käerjeng problems. The goalkeepers were not a major asset either in the first quarter of an hour. Käerjeng were thus able to extend their lead to a maximum of six goals (13:7 after 20 minutes).
Somehow, the Käerjeng team then lost control of the match, and Dudelange were able to close the gap to three goals by half-time. This was partly due to Emeline Hoé starting to get her hands on the ball. That Käerjeng went into the break with a lead was above all down to their goalkeeper, who had already collected around a dozen saves in the first 30 minutes.
Because Käerjeng carried their poor rhythm into the second half, there was a sense of déjà vu from the previous match. The Greens had also come out of the dressing room poorly on that occasion. In the first 10 minutes, little went right for the cup winners, and Dudelange levelled at 16:16 in the 41st minute through three goals from Valerie Gomes. It was the first draw since the 2:2 in the 4th minute.
Käerjeng then regrouped and had Jennifer Zuk as the decisive player of this phase. The national player restored the old lead with three goals and put the visitors back on the winning track. Zorana Jurcevic also started making more saves, and Käerjeng quickly pulled away to a six-goal lead (23:17). In the end, a deserved victory for the record champions, who have advanced to a third match next Saturday on home soil.
It was also Kim Wirtz's final home match. HB Dudelange had announced on social media a few days ago that the 33-year-old player is retiring. Wirtz played her entire career for HBD and came through all the youth categories. In 18 years in the women's team, she collected 22 titles. The long-serving national player played 12 times with HBD at the international level. In those 31 matches, she scored 57 goals according to EHF statistics. Co-coach Luc Didion also bid farewell.
Jennifer Zuk also announced that next week will be her final match in a Käerjeng shirt for the foreseeable future.
Red Boys Differdange sparked considerable reaction and disbelief this week with their announcement that Michel Scheuren had stepped down with immediate effect, as the committee wished to go into the next season with a new coach. On Friday, the club from the Cité du Fer announced on social media that Stéphane Mina would coach the women's team in the third-place playoff match against Museldall.
The players tried to remain composed despite the change on the bench, but they, too, will have to play a third match. It was not the goalkeepers' best performance, with a score of 40:34. The match was very tight until the 50th minute, but in crunch time Museldall were able to gain the decisive lead. On the Museldall side, it was the final home match for Valérie Mackel, Fiona Carrara, and Lena Schneider.
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Following Dudelange's victory on Friday, it was confirmed that Dudelange and Berchem no longer had a chance at the title. As a result, the intensity and concentration of both teams were somewhat diminished.
Second-placed Dudelange struggled for 35 minutes in Käerjeng (19:19), but subsequently went on an 8:1 run that laid the foundation for their 15th victory in the 22nd match. The final score was 43:30 for HBD. No fewer than six Dudelange players managed to score five or six goals each.
The match with Berchem and Standard was not for the faint-hearted. The city visitors led for 50 minutes and at one point had a five goal advantage, but that was not enough to take the points. Berchem took the lead for the first time in the 56th minute and managed to secure two points. In coach Marko Stupar’s penultimate home match, the score after 60 minutes was 29:27 for Réiserbann.
In the relegation play-offs, Rumelange remain unbeaten following a 44:25 win in Schifflange. Diekirch also secured their place in the AXA League as of Friday.
News also broke that Martin Hummel will coach HC Berchem from next season onwards. Hummel was the coach of HB Dudelange last season and is currently an assistant coach at champions Red Boys Differdange. The former top scorer of the championship was also previously active as a player at HC Berchem.
