The struggles in the domestic Men’s League continue for the reigning Danish champions, Aalborg.
On Saturday, the North Jutland side suffered their third defeat in the Danish league as Skanderborg AGF won 29–27 at the Gigantium arena.
Aalborg has not been nearly as dominant this season as they were last year, when the team lost only a single match during the regular season before clinching the championship.
There have already been several bumps in the road this season, and with half of the regular season now played, Aalborg sit in second place—trailing GOG by some distance.
On Saturday, the visitors quickly caused problems for the hosts, not least because Aalborg had to play without Thomas Arnoldsen.
The playmaker is sidelined with an injury, and his absence was keenly felt in the first half, during which almost nothing went right for the team offensively.
Morten Kaalund got off to a flying start for the viitors, scoring four times, before two consecutive goals from Johan Hansen put Skanderborg AGF three goals ahead.
As the visitors’ lead was extended to 9–5, Aalborg was forced to call a much-needed timeout. Head coach Simon Dahl and assistant coach Henrik Kronborg took the opportunity to have a serious word with the squad.
It didn't help much, however. Aalborg went into the break trailing 8–14 following a poor first half, during which Simon Hald, among others, struggled with his finishing.
The home side made a much better start to the second half. Patrick Helland Anderson and Tobias Nielsen got the scoring going for Aalborg, who, with ten minutes left to play, had narrowed Skanderborg’s lead to 19–22.
However, the gap to the visitors—for whom Johan Hansen shone with nine goals—proved too large to bridge at the end.