HSG Wetzlar secured their progress in the German Cup with a 28:33 victory over Ludwigshafen on Saturday. The match took place in front of a home crowd, but the hosts could not find a way to contain the visitors' attack. It was a straightforward result given the disparity in form between the two sides. By then, the visitors had already established their rhythm.
To be fair, Ludwigshafen have not been in a good place recently. They have lost four of their last five matches, including a narrow defeat to Hüttenberg. Their defence has looked open for a while.
Wetzlar have been scoring freely of late. Their last five outings saw them score 38, 37, 35, 33 and 30 goals respectively. This kind of firepower is difficult to handle, especially when the opposition is already feeling the pressure. And here's the thing, they managed to keep their own numbers down despite the high tempo. The contrast in energy levels was stark from the opening whistle.
The scoreline tells the story of a game where the visitors dictated the pace. Ludwigshafen simply did not have the tools to stop the flow. In previous fixtures, they have struggled against teams that press high up the pitch.
The result leaves Ludwigshafen in the same position as before, searching for a win. Wetzlar, meanwhile, continue their steady climb. There is no drama in the statistics, just a clear indication of where the quality lies right now. The hosts will need to address their defensive issues before the next round of fixtures.