Hagen fell to Emsdetten 34:37 in the 2. Bundesliga on 20 September 2026, ending the hosts' perfect start to the campaign. The result reshuffles the table at this early stage, with Hagen dropping from top spot and Emsdetten moving closer to the middle tier.
Before the match Hagen sat second with three wins from three games and six points, while Emsdetten occupied tenth place with one victory, two draws and two points from the same number of fixtures. The visitors have now closed the gap in the standings, though the difference remains substantial.
and here's the thing — we had backed Hagen to win at 59 per cent confidence before kickoff. The prediction didn't come off, and there's no point looking for excuses when the scoreboard tells a different story entirely.
Hagen's recent form had been impressive, including a 32:31 win over Dessauer Roslauer on 11 September and a 35:19 victory against Coburg 2000 four days later. Emsdetten's last outing saw them lose 34:31 to Potsdam on 14 September, but they showed resilience with a 34:25 win over Dessauer Roslauer on 29 August and a 29:25 victory against En-Lübbeke on 21 August.
The result means Hagen now have one point to account for in their campaign, while Emsdetten continue their unbeaten sequence with two draws and a win from three matches. The table reflects what happened on the court rather than what the numbers suggested before the whistle blew.
