After the final thrill: Krems is the new handball champion

UHK Krems turned the ball for the first match and won the championship title in the Austrian Handball League (HLA). After several attempts to catch defending champion HC Hard, the Lower Austrians on Saturday evening won 28:26 (12:14) and won the “best of three” series 2:0. For Wachauer, this was the second HLA title in the club’s history, In 2019 Kremser also defeated Hard in front of their fans.

The match’s top kicker was powerhouse playmaker Ivan Horvat with nine goals, with Kremser goalkeeper Thomas Echberger taking the match winner by scoring seven meters just seconds from the end. Marko Simic also impressed with eight goals, which made him a major part of Krems’ fifth Austrian title.

In an intense match, the guests started better. A quarter of an hour later, Hard was a 7:4 lead, formerly outstanding goalkeeper Golub Doknic saved half of all balls thrown at him up to that point. After Wachau tied (8:8/21st), the guests had a comfortable four-goal lead to 13:9 (28). Eichberger’s goal across the entire field just before the end of the first half gave the home team hope once again.

After changing sides, Kremser managed to equalize, after three-quarters of an hour until they advanced (21:20). In a thrilling final stage, Eichberger went back and forth, and Eichberger in particular kept the lower Austrians in the match even when they were the man twice. A few seconds before the end, Eichberger saved a seven-meter throw from Dominic Schmid.