Sasja claimed a narrow victory away at Lekke in their Division 1 opener on Friday, winning 26-25. The match took place at the Lekke arena on September 5 at 18:15 local time. Both sides entered the fixture with identical records: zero games played, zero points.
There are no goals to note, no cards, no substitutions to chronicle. The result simply shifts Lekke to seventh and Sasja to first in the table, though neither gap means much at this stage.
By then, of course, these teams had met before. On February 28, Sasja beat Lekke 30-27 in what turned out to be their final encounter of the previous campaign. Lekke's run that season ended with a 22-23 defeat to Aynatten-Reren, while Sasja's form dipped to a 23-27 loss against Sporting Pelt 2.
And here's the thing about handball openings: the table says nothing yet. Both sides have played no games in this Division 1 season. The standings show positions, but positions are provisional until the first three or four rounds settle things.
Lekke's last five outings from the prior season read: a 31-27 win over Sporting Pelt 2, the 27-30 loss to Sasja, a 31-31 draw with Turné, and two defeats. Sasja's recent record before that final meeting includes a 31-21 victory over Kraaijnek and a 24-1 thrashing of Bojnice.
The gap between first and seventh is currently theoretical. When the season has ten or twelve games under its belt, the difference between these positions will look rather different.