Füchse Berlin celebrate a furious start to the Champions League against Nantes!

Füchse Berlin celebrate a furious start to the Champions League against Nantes!

On September 11, 2025, the Füchse Berlin showed an impressive performance at the start of the new Champions League season and defeated HBC Nantes 40:34. After a disappointing start in the Bundesliga, where the team lost to SC Magdeburg 32:39, this victory under new coach Nicolej Krickau was more than just a mood booster. The team needed some time to find their rhythm, but they were finally able to impress with a strong, up-tempo game in the second half and secure their first points of the season. Loud Sports show Berlin was behind 16:17 at halftime.

In the first half, the Foxes initially lost control, quickly fell 3-0 down and experienced another setback when world handball player Mathias Gidsel tried to throw, who missed his first two free chances. Nevertheless, the Berliners recovered with a more stable defense and a 4-0 run. Nantes' Valero Rivera stood out, scoring five goals by half-time, but the Foxes found their game again after the short break. Lasse Ludwig, the substitute keeper, shone in the second half with several excellent saves that made a decisive contribution to the turnaround. In the 37th minute, the Foxes were already leading by three goals (24:21), and as the game progressed they continually expanded their lead, scoring a total of 24 goals in the second half Euro handball reported.

The game in detail

The game started turbulently: The Foxes quickly fell behind, but the momentum returned with a 10:3 run that allowed them to pull away to 30:23. Mathias Gidsel was the Foxes' best thrower with ten hits and once again showed why he was named IHF World Player of the Year. Tim Freihöfer contributed seven goals, which underlines the team performance. According to the report by rbb24 It was the first time that the Füchse were able to achieve a victory this season under their new management in the person of Krickau.

The statistics of the game show the dynamics of the two teams during the match. The game was extremely even in the first half, but the Füchse were able to pick up the pieces of their previous Bundesliga disaster with a solid second half and a strong team game. The victory represents a morale boost for the Foxes, which they want to take with them into the next game, next Sunday against Gummersbach.

Figures and facts

The challenges ahead are great, but after this strong start to the season, the Foxes fans can look forward to the next games with a dose of optimism. Where the Foxes will stand in the final games of the season remains to be seen, but the performance against Nantes gives hope.