Ferdinand squeezed past Dessauer-Rosslau 39:33 in the Second Bundesliga on Thursday evening. The home side took all three points despite a stubborn resistance from visitors who have not lost a single game this season. To be fair, the away outfit made it difficult for a full ninety minutes, though handball runs longer than that.
Ferdinand sit fifth with four points already on the board, three wins and a draw from their opening four fixtures. Dessauer-Rosslau occupy fourteenth place, also unbeaten but with only one victory to their name. The gap between them is wider now, six points to two, but neither side has tasted defeat yet.
And here's the thing — our prediction called for a home win at 56 per cent confidence, and it came good. Not a surprise result, really, when you look at the form. Ferdinand have won three of their last four, including a convincing 34:27 over Ludwigshafen on their travels. Dessauer-Rosslau drew three straight before that narrow 31:32 loss to Hagen.
The scoreline tells you this was never going to be a comfortable evening for either side. Thirty-nine goals for the hosts, thirty-three for the visitors, and by then you can see why the prediction felt reasonable. Dessauer-Rosslau kept pace long enough to make it interesting, but Ferdinand's attacking depth showed through in the closing stages.
What matters now is the table positioning. Ferdinand move closer to the top half with that win, while Dessauer-Rosslau remain stuck in the lower quarter despite their unbeaten record. Two draws and a win from four games is not enough when everyone else is picking up three-point hauls.