Fabian Norsten came in and played big in Ålborg's goal – and now the Swedish hidden gem must play the final against Barcelona in the Champions League.
It was a real Swedish meeting when the first semifinal in handball's "final four" was decided in front of a hot crowd in Cologne.
Total of seven Swedes were on the pitch, including national team stars Felix Claar and Daniel Pettersson in Magdeburg's starting lineup.
But it was Fabian Norsten who snatched the headlines when Ålborg shocked and won 28-26 against the reigning champion team. After a wild celebration in the Ålborg district, the Stockholm native came to the mixed zone and tried to put his emotions into words.
He started the afternoon on the bench when Danish goalkeeper legend Niklas Landin took over between the posts in Ålborg. After a half-start, he was replaced by Fabian Norsten at 8-8 – and the Swede started with a save directly. It would be several, eight in total, on 22 shots. Most memorable is probably the save on Felix Claar's free throw in the beginning of the second half, when the Swedish midfielder had the chance to give Magdeburg a two-goal lead.
Instead, the teams were tied for the entire match, and it wasn't until the last few seconds that Ålborg – for the first time – snatched a two-goal lead.
At that point, Norsten had to leave the pitch again, making way for the 35-year-old Landin, who then showed his class with a few match-deciding saves.
At Magdeburg – which has won the IHF Super Globe, Bundesliga, and German Cup this season – there was great disappointment.
He came to Magdeburg from Ålborg before this season and was part of the final loss to Barcelona three years ago.
On Sunday evening, Ålborg gets a new chance to win the title for the first time, again against Barcelona, who beat Kiel 30-18 in their semifinal.
In Ålborg's semifinal team, there were also former national duo Lukas Nilsson and Jesper Nielsen.
There was also Danish superstar Mikkel Hansen, who in his last club match now gets a chance to win the title he has never won before.
