The club officials knew from the start that the UHC handball players would not be playing for the top spots in their first season in the HLA Challenge this year. Nevertheless, Mann risked returning to Austria’s 2nd division after years in Bavaria and Upper Austria.

After the fifth defeat in the fifth league game, the Salzburg team was not in a mood of crisis recently. The cup kick-off on Saturday against Gleisdorf / Weiz came at just the right moment. Because after a discussion during the week, the Salzburg team was again highly motivated by the Styrian national division and celebrated a safe 26:17 (12: 7) victory.

“The victory is of course a great relief for us. I hope that this will also have a positive effect in the championship,” said UHC coach Herbert Wagner, who only had ten players available in Styria due to injury and illness. For Wagner, the victory was also a small prestige success, as his former coach and teammate Romas Magelinskas was sitting in the coaching bench with the opponent. The UHC brought the Lithuanian to Austria in the early 1990s, where he and his family found a new home. After moving to Margareten, he was voted Austria’s coach of the year twice. His Laura daughter worked for years in the national team, his son Jonas is currently in Austria’s youth selection.

Magelinskas was particularly impressed by two Salzburg players: Sebastian Aufhauser, who was cheered on by his Styrian relatives, eight Toree, and Wagner’s son Christian, who scored six times. Max Musil is also particularly motivated at the UHC. The man from Gleisdorf, who has played in Salzburg for years, scored a goal before he had to leave the field with a red hand.