VfL Oldenburg: League lead fought for – next challenge lies ahead!

VfL Oldenburg: League lead fought for – next challenge lies ahead!

After a thrilling game against TuS Metzingen, the handball players from VfL Oldenburg can breathe a sigh of relief for a brief moment - they are at the top of the Bundesliga. Their third victory in this fresh season was not a walk in the park with a narrow 27:26 (15:13), but the joy was even greater.

The team enjoyed the return trip to Oldenburg on the bus, even if leading the league table was just a “side effect” of the victory. Toni Reinemann, who contributed significantly to the success with eight goals, was satisfied: "I'll take it first. We're very happy about the two points."

Tension until the end

The match was hard fought from the start. Oldenburg started strong and led clearly in the first half. But the VfL players' bad luck, including two shots at the post by Reinemann, kept Metzinger in the game. “We left a lot behind, we could have made that clearer,” said Reinemann, looking back on the missed opportunities. Metzingen closed the gap to 13:15 at the break.

The second half began with a strong performance from the hosts, who quickly equalized. The Oldenburgers now had to pull themselves together. The decisive moment came in the 55th minute when Paulina Golla brought back the old lead. “We showed morale again,” emphasized coach Niels Bötel. “We continued to fight despite the deficit.”

The look forward

With this victory, the Oldenburg women not only occupied the top of the table, but also gave themselves an incentive for the next big game. HB Ludwigsburg, also unbeaten so far, will be coming to the small EWE Arena next Wednesday. This duel could be crucial for the rest of the season, said Coach Bötel: “We have the chance to consolidate our lead in the table.”

The anticipation for the next game is great, because it's not just the performance in the last match that gives reason for optimism. The team showed that they can hold their own even in pressure situations. It remains to be seen whether she can overcome the weak phase during the game and convince again.

In the statistics, the throws were decent for the Oldenburg women with an average percentage of 58.7 percent, and the goalkeeping performance was also impressive. “Deserved, but it could have been higher,” summed up Bötel, who is now focusing on the next challenge.

A detailed look at the results so far and the upcoming encounter can be found in the report on www.nwzonline.de.