Boosted by the strong and loud support from their huge fan groups in Barclays Arena, both sides fought intensively. After losing their semi-finals clearly the day before, Löwen and Dinamo showed a great will to win their last international match of the season.
In the end, the victory for the German side was deserved, as Bucuresti had not been ahead after leading 8:7 in minute 12 – but never gave up even when the gap was five goals with only six minutes to go.
With 95 goals, including five on Sunday, Dinamo right wing Andrii Akimenko is on the way to become the EHF European League top scorer of the 2023/24 season. Löwen right back Niclas Kirkeløkke finishes on 87; only Füchse star Mathias Gidsel could threaten Akimenko’s position but only with an otherworldly tally of 18 goals.
3/4 PLACEMENT MATCH:
Dinamo Bucuresti (ROU) vs Rhein-Neckar Löwen (GER) 31:32 (15:18)
- the first 10 minutes were dominated by the goalkeepers – Vladimir Cupara and David Späth – and the powerful line players – Miklos Rosta and Jannick Kohlbacher
- Dinamo lost their way from 8:7 up, conceding a 5:0 and never going into the lead again for the rest of the match
- however, after a timeout by Xavi Pascual, Dinamo came back level at 14:14, but Löwen made the gap three again when Tobias Reichmann beat the half-time buzzer
- Dinamo came back once again, from 30:25 down with just five minutes left, but missed their last chance to level at 32:32 when Aleksandar Cenic saw his shot hit the post and stay out
Little things decide an intense fight
It is always hard to come back strong at a final tournament, when you have lost your semi-final 24 hours before. But both sides wanted to make their fans happy and provide them with a victory. Little things decided this placement match in favour of Rhein-Neckar Löwen, like the performance of goalkeeper David Späth (11 saves in total), though his counterparts Vladimir Cupara and Saied Heidaridad did well, too. Jannick Kohlbacher had an almost perfect day in attack and Niclas Kirkeløkke won the duel of the right back shooters against Stanislav Kasparek. And in the end, the time was ticking against the team from Bucharest.
It was a pity for Dinamo that Luka Cindric could not play at the EHF Finals due to a calf injury. Though their attack was much more efficient compared to the semi against Flensburg, they lacked the ideas and inspiration of their mastermind. Despite the firepower of their backs Ali Zein, Stanislav Kasparek and Lazar Kukic, much more would haven been possible against the Lions and in general at Hamburg.
Besides, two players of the EHF programme “Respect your Talent” played a crucial role in their teams: Löwen left wing David More in the whole 60 minutes and Dinamo playmaker Daniel Stanciuc after the break.
I am really happy with this victory. We showed a very good game in attack in the first half and until the last five, six minutes. Then, we were under stress, missed some easy shots, but we were happy to take the win. I am proud that my team finished the international season with this win. It was a good final for us, though of course we would have liked to play the final.
I am proud of my team. So many things happened in this game, it was incredible. Every time when we were down, our team came back – in the first half, in the second half in the end. We had some injuries, we needed to change some players. We fought, we wanted to win, but Löwen had the better rhythm."
