2023-05-06 20:46:32
Handball Cup Final
Kriens premiere in madhouse: Andy Schmid leads Kriens-Lucerne to cup victory
The Kriens handball players beat Schaffhausen in a rousing cup final with 32:30 and celebrate the first title in their club history.
There was no holding back in Gümligen on Saturday evening: HC Kriens-Luzern with the winner’s trophy.
Shortly before 8 p.m. on Saturday there is no stopping them. The Mobiliar Arena in Gümligen, Bern, is becoming the blue and white handball stronghold, and HC Kriens-Luzern is making history. Thanks to a 32:30 victory in a highly intense and spectacular final against the Kadetten Schaffhausen, he wins the Swiss Cup and thus the first central Swiss title in men’s handball since the championship trophy in Borba Lucerne in 1993. The players dance in a circle.
After the end of the game, the people of Kriens celebrate their victory and dance in a circle.
Captain Ramon Schlumpf, who has an ankle injury, also celebrates with a limp. Nobody wants to miss this party.
Two years ago they narrowly failed against Schaffhausen in the cup final, this time Krienser swung to the top. The opponent was the best Swiss team of the last 20 years, recently they almost pushed the top German team Füchse Berlin out of the European League. “It was an up and down with a lot of emotions, both teams threw everything into the balance,” said HCKL trainer Peter Kukucka with the gold medal around his neck. The triumph also had a historical note for him personally, as he once achieved great success as a player with Schaffhausen.
Marin Sipic with a bleeding head
A few meters away from him, Marin Sipic was sitting on a stone ledge in the fresh air. Before joining the celebrating team, he had to have his head stitched up. “It’s just a stab,” he said, laughing, “but during the game I thought I had a four-inch hole in my head. When I put my hand to the wound, it was full of blood.” He and Schaffhausen’s Joan Cañellas had banged their heads 15 minutes before the final whistle. After a short treatment, Sipic continued to play with a bandage, Cañellas’ bump was also clearly visible under the roof of the stands.
The collision with Schaffhausen’s Joan Cañellas (in orange) happened just before the final whistle.
It was a symbolic action for the attrition battle between the two currently best teams in the country. From the first minute they fought hard duels and didn’t give each other an inch of the floor. The first pack formed after just under four minutes when the Kriens goalie Rok Zaponsek energetically pushed an opponent to the ground. Andy Schmid and Lukas Herburger later got into a fight. The line between healthy aggressiveness and exaggerated harshness was fine.
Ammar Idrizi, cool Socke from Sursee
Schaffhausen went ahead and quickly led 2-0, and shortly afterwards Kriens-Lucerne also found their way into the game thanks to solid defensive work. The score swayed back and forth, the atmosphere was fantastic and experienced a first boiling point in the 24th minute. The strong Zaponsek defused a big chance, Schmid launched Sipic in a counterattack and he scored for a 10:9 lead. The Kriens fans, often scolded for their reticence, created goose bumps. “They were amazing,” enthused Ammar Idrizi, “they were the eighth man and kept pushing us forward.”
Surseer Idrizi, the cool sock on the right wing, scored in the 39th minute to make it 22:18 for Kriens-Lucerne. However, the duel was not decided, five minutes later Schaffhausen equalized again (23:23). The crunch time followed, and Schmid, already the big driver, became even more dominant. The playmaker, who will soon be 40, feels the strain of a long career, but in the cup final he once again pulled out all the stops from his huge repertoire. He mixed magic with consistency, staged his colleagues and finally decided the drama himself, with three hits in a row, one more brilliant than the other.
Schmid’s promise to his sister
Then all the dams broke, Zaponsek mutated into a party beast, heated up the atmosphere with gestures, while the arena had already mutated into a madhouse. “It was a mature achievement, everyone did their part. This title is very important for the entire organization, it is a confirmation of the path that Kriens-Lucerne is taking with the Pilatus Arena, »said Andy Schmid when the first ecstasy of joy in the dressing room had subsided.
Andy Schmid (right) in action.
For him, winning the title is confirmation that the decision to continue playing in the Bundesliga after 12 years in Switzerland was the right one. Two years ago, his sister Martina, who is responsible for marketing at Kriens-Lucerne, called him crying after losing the cup final. “I promised her that we would win a title together,” reveals Schmid. He kept his word and caused tears of joy on Saturday.
Fans watch the game and cheer in the Mobiliar Arena.
Cadets Schaffhausen – Kriens-Lucerne 30:32 (14:14)
Furniture Arena, Gümligen. – 1740 spectators. – SR Capoccia/Jucker. – Punish: 6 times 2 minutes plus red card for Herburger (51./3 times 2 minutes) against Schaffhausen, 6 times 2 minutes against Kriens-Lucerne. – Schaffhouse: Pilipovic (7 Paraden)/Ziemer (2); Rikhardsson (9 Tore/5), Kusio (1), Matzken (2), Obranovic (1), Lier (5), Schopper (2), Herburger; Zabic, Cañellas (5), Bartok (3), Maros (2), Brücker. – Kriens-Lucerne: Zaponsek (10 Paraden)/Pellegrini; Idrizi (4 Tore), Orbovic (2), Schmid (10/3), Böhm (4), Langenick (3), Sipic (5), Lavric; Rellstab (2), Buob, Küttel (2), Delchiappo.
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