Käerjeng have once again pulled off a surprise, this time against Berchem, snatching a point from the Réiserbänner in the closing seconds. Differdange, for their part, had few problems dealing with HC Standard by the end.
With Dudelange, Differdange, and Esch-sur-Alzette all in European Cup action this and next weekend, several of their matches have been pushed to the following week. Saturday's card also features a clash between Diekirch and Rumelange.
Everything was set up for a sense of déjà vu. The venue, the referees and, to a large extent, the two line-ups were the same. What differed, however, was the way the game played out and the final score, which was nowhere near as tight as last year's. HB Esch were clearly the better side against HB Dudelange and deservedly ran out 32-27 winners in the end.
The first half was not really one for the goalkeepers. Neither found much of a rhythm on the ball. Their defences, in turn, worked all the harder for it, though often had many gaps. Dudelange had the better start but could not count on many goals from Itua Etute, who was taken out of the game with man-marking. Yann Hippert and Olivier Goergen took on the scoring burden in the back court instead. Esch coach Rajko Milosevic clearly found the right words at the 15-minute timeout, because his side then reeled off four goals in a row to turn a 7-8 deficit into an 11-8 lead. The black-and-whites were not about to let that lead slip, even after Ermin Muric was sent off with a red card before the break.
Dudelange never really got going after the change of ends (14-16) and lost control of the game entirely from the 40th minute onwards (16-22). By the 55th minute, Esch were up by ten goals, and the tension in the stands had long since deflated. The foxes did manage a few cosmetic touches to the scoreline in the closing minutes. Despite the man-marking, Etute finished as the top scorer on the pitch with eight goals.
After Käerjeng's surprise victory over Differdange last Saturday, Berchem had been warned about what the visitors were capable of. Even so, the Réiserbänner were on course to take the win when Ognjen Jokic drilled home a powerful shot in the final second to make it 39-39. Käerjeng had thus taken a point off the second title contender.
After Jokic had scored three goals in the opening ten minutes, Berchem put him under man-marking, but the move had little effect. Despite the Serbian's tally, new coach Martin Hummel's side were always in front during the first half and went into the changing rooms leading 21-19. Berchem held their three-goal cushion until the final quarter of an hour, before Käerjeng managed to draw level. Chief among Berchem's headaches during that stretch was their inability to get hold of Alaeddine Kouni in the circle. When Berchem were three goals up again with four minutes to go, many in the crowd expected the game to be decided. Käerjeng, however, refused to give in and had a shot at levelling with the last throw of the match. Jokic converted from the seven-metre line for his ninth goal, and Käerjeng's joy knew no bounds.
Reigning champions Red Boys Differdange claimed their first win of the new season. Away at HC Standard, the final score of 40-29 flattered neither team. As is often the case with the Luxembourg City side, they stayed on the ball for a while, only to come away empty-handed in the end. The loss of Miha Pucnik after 25 minutes to a direct disqualification did not help matters. From the 40th minute onwards, Differdange were able to stretch the lead to four goals for the first time, laying the foundation for the win. Alen Zekan was the top scorer with nine goals.
