Reinkind guides Kiel past PSG
THW Kiel came from behind to beat Paris Saint-Germain Handball 31:29 on Wednesday in the first leg of the EHF Champions League quarter-final - and the hosts mainly had to thank Harald Reinkind for that result.
The Norwegian right back kept Kiel in the game in the first half and helped them pull ahead of Paris in the second as he scored 10 goals in total.
QUARTER-FINAL:
THW Kiel (GER) vs Paris Saint-Germain HB (FRA) 31:29 (14:15)
- PSG enjoyed the better start and had a four-goal lead after 20 minutes
- Kiel, missing former PSG star Sander Sagosen due to illness, gradually found their rhythm and saw Harald Reinkind net seven times to reduce the German team's deficit to one at the break
- the hosts proved to be the better team in the second half, thanks to Domagoj Duvnjak and, again, Reinkind
- Kiel, which lost Patrick Wiencek with an apparent right knee injury, came close to a four-goal victory, but PSG goalkeeper Vincent Gerard had a crucial save before Kamil Syprzak scored a last-second goal to make it 31:29
- Harald Reinkind scored 10 goals for Kiel, while Dylan Nahi netted eight for Paris
Harald Reinkind deliveres a masterclass
In the heart of the first half, when Kiel were struggling to find openings in Paris’ offensive defence, Harald Reinkind came to the rescue. The Norwegian right back helped Kiel get going, scoring seven times including a half-time buzzer-beater. Reinkind stepped up again for the essential last 10 minutes, with one steal and two straight goals to help Kiel pull ahead of PSG.
It was better in the second half, our defence was also a little bit better and we didn't do the easy mistakes in attack where they punished us hard in the first half. We had to play our game, to do the things we are good at.
We started well in this match, especially in our defence. But in the second half, Kiel became better and better, so we have lost the match. The second leg in Paris is like a final.
