Hamburg defeated Braunschweig 39-28 in the German Cup on Saturday afternoon. The away side made it clear from the start that they were not here to negotiate. And here's the thing about this tournament — you either impose yourself or you pack your bags early.
Braunschweig have been finding their feet in recent outings. They beat Emsdetten 33-25 last August, then saw off Nordhorn-Lingen 29-25. But against Hamburg they looked out of their depth. By then the gap was already too wide to bridge.
Hamburg's recent record tells a different story. They lost narrowly to Fredericia 31-30 in August, then hammered Eisenach 40-33 in June. The away trip to Magdeburg saw them fall 41-28, but they bounced back with a 34-28 win over Göppingen. Form like that does not go unnoticed.
The goal difference tells the real story — eleven clear goals. Braunschweig had chances but could not convert them at the crucial moments. Hamburg picked up last week's experience and took it into this fixture. They gave nothing away when it mattered.
The result means Hamburg advance while Braunschweig's cup dream comes to an end. It is not often you see a German side fall this heavily in the first round. The visitors proved they belong at this level. By then, anyone watching would have known who was going through.