NRW duel: BVB wins top game and pushes Blomberg-Lippe from the top - World News

Borussia Dortmund has taken the lead in the women's handball Bundesliga. BVB coach Henk Groener's team defeated the previous leaders HSG-Blomberg-Lippe 31:26 (14:15) in the NRW duel on Saturday evening and pushed the Lipperlanders into second place. BVB also has one fewer game in its account than HSG. It was BVB's seventh league win in a row. The best throwers were Alina Grijseels (BVB/eight goals) and Ona Vegué (HSG/nine goals). The previous runner-up, HSG Bensheim/Auerbach, slipped to third place due to a 29:31 defeat at Thüringer HC. It was the first competitive game between Dortmund and Blomberg since May 2025, when HSG defeated BVB 32:26 in the decisive third game of the Bundesliga playoff semi-final and reached the final. There, Blomberg lost to HB Ludwigsburg, which had to stop playing before the current season due to massive financial problems. Hard-fought match at eye level Both teams played at a high tempo and defended hard, with four penalty kicks in the first ten minutes alone. After a balanced initial phase, Blomberg scored two quick goals through Vegué (13th minute) and Farelle Alicia Njinkeu (14th), which gave the HSG a two-goal lead for the first time (7:9). BVB coach Groener took a time out and asked his players not to rush the attack and to do a better job of stopping HSG's quick counterattacks. Led by the strong Grijseels, who scored half of BVB's goals in the first half, Dortmund equalized shortly afterwards. The Borussia team also survived two time penalties well. After HSG keeper Nicole Roth parried a seven-meter shot from Egeling, Vegué (23′) did better on the other side and scored with a penalty throw to make it 13:11 for Blomberg. But BVB then went on a 3-0 run, which Grijseels (28th) completed with a goal to make it 14:13. In the last attack of the first half, Blomberg played down the clock. Vegué scored four seconds before the siren from the left wing to give HSG a 15:14 half-time lead – already her eighth goal of the game. BVB comes out of the locker room powerfully Dortmund came out of the locker room with steam. Grijseels (31′), Alieke Van Maurik (33′) and Lara Egeling (34′) turned the deficit into a 17:15 lead before Vegué (35′) reduced the deficit with a seven-meter penalty. But Dortmund goalkeeper Sarah Wachter became stronger and stronger and parried shot after shot. When Vegué missed a seven-meter penalty, Njinkeu (38th) scored in return to make it 19:16 for BVB. After Blomberg's Nieke Kühne failed to hit the crossbar with a throw, Egeling (41′) was able to extend BVB's lead to four goals (22:18). Dortmund now had the game under control and increasingly forced the HSG into time play with an aggressive defense. Emma Olsson (44th) increased the hosts' lead to 23:18. BVB kept Blomberg, who also made a few technical errors, at a distance and secured victory over time. Next matchday on Wednesday BVB's next league game is on Wednesday (7.30 p.m.) against TuS Metzingen. Blomberg-Lippe also plays for Buxtehuder SV. Before the league second leg between HSG and BVB (April 4th), the two clubs will meet again on March 14th: in the semi-finals of the DHB Cup. Our sources: Game between Dortmund and Blomberg on January 3rd, 2026 DYN HBF website Broadcast: WDR.de'Dortmund wins top game against Blomberg', January 3rd, 2026, 9:02 p.m