Smarason: “I knew that I could deliver fast”

Magdeburg’s streak is just getting longer and longer… For their last 19 matches across three competitions (EHF Champions League, IHF Super Globe, Bundesliga), the German side have ended up on the right side of the final score.

“From the outside it looks fantastic. But on the inside, all players and staff know that the line is often very thin between losing and winning games,” Magdeburg centre back Janus Dadi Smarason says.

“We've had some very tough games lately and we managed to win them all. But we know it can go all wrong any time if we focus only 10 per cent less.”

Smarason is one of the new arrivals at Magdeburg this season. It did not take much time for the Icelander to get used to his new environment.

His move from Kolstad Handball was only made official in the middle of pre-season preparations in mid-July, a month after Magdeburg had lifted the trophy in Cologne, but Smarason was not bothered by the timing and has quickly settled in.

“Signing with Magdeburg in July was not the optimal timing, but things happened quite fast, and I did not have time to think about it too much. I had to get to work right away,” recalls Smarason, who turns 29 on New Year’s Day.

“Luckily, so far everything has been going so well. My teammates have been really helpful in getting me in the right rhythm. We have had so many games that I have not had time to think about things too much.”

His adaptation was made easy thanks to two other Icelandic players on Magdeburg’s squad – Ómar Ingi Magnússon and Gísli Thorgeir Kristjánsson – and the fact he previously in the Bundesliga for two seasons, with Frisch Auf Göppingen in 2020-22.

“I have known Ómar since I was a kid as we come from the same town in Iceland, and I have played with Gísli in the national team as well,” says Smarason, who doesn’t hide his excitement about playing in the EHF Champions League again after three years.

He had previously done so with Aalborg Håndbold, but had not played in Europe’s topflight again after 2020.

“I’m really happy to be back in the Champions League, but I don’t take it for granted. I know amazing players that have played it only twice in their career, so I’m really thankful at the moment,” Smarason says.

“It’s often a matter of being in the right place at the right time, and that is what is happening to me right now. The Champions League is where you want to be as a top-level player, as you compete with the best players in the best atmospheres and the best arenas in Europe.”

Smarason has scored 29 goals so far this EHF Champions League season, including seven in the 37:33 home win over FC Porto, who are opponents again in the Match of the Week on Thursday (live on EHFTV at 20:45 CET).

Sure, Smarason is a very talented player, but did he expect to be delivering so soon with his new club?

“I’m not that surprised about how fast I adapted in Magdeburg, as I knew that I could deliver. At the moment, we have a lot of injuries so it might explain why I play and score a little bit more,” Smarason says.

“I can honestly say that things between Magdeburg and me, I knew they were going to work out, but it happened maybe a little bit quicker than expected.”

Magdeburg still have a couple of games left in 2023 – mainly domestically; the MOTW in Portugal marks their last appearance of the year in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League.

Can Magdeburg extend their winning series to 20 matches?

After the four-goal win in the reverse fixture in Magdeburg in October, Smarason expects a completely different game against Porto this time.

“Porto in Porto are going to be even more physical. They have really smart players, with a lot of talent. And pushed by their fans in their arena, they are a completely different team,” he says. “I really think we will have to be at our best if we want to finish the Champions League year on a high.”

photos © 2023 Eroll Popova/Erpopress