Leipzig vs Minden

Minden controlled large stretches of the first half. Philipp Vorlicek-Michalczik scored four times before the break and Morten Hempel Jensen added three, carrying Minden to a 12-11 lead at the interval despite a quick start from Leipzig's Finn Schroven (three first-half goals) and Staffan Peter (two).

Leipzig came out stronger after the restart. Lukas Binder levelled in the 34th minute and goals from Finn Schroven, Tom Koschek and Luka Rogan pushed the hosts 17-14 ahead by the 42nd minute. But Minden refused to buckle. Hempel Jensen and Karolis Antanavičius engineered a 4-0 run that flipped the score to 18-17 in Minden's favour.

What followed was a frenetic final quarter-hour. The lead changed hands four times in the last five minutes alone. Ian Weber's penalty put Minden 21-20 up in the 48th minute. Staffan Peter equalised in the 53rd. Hempel Jensen restored Minden's lead at 22-21 in the 56th, only for Blær Hinriksson to convert a penalty immediately. Karolis Antanavičius thought he had won it for Minden with a 59th-minute strike — 23-22. Semper levelled within seconds. Then, with the clock deep in the 60th minute, Semper struck again to complete a remarkable turnaround and send the Leipzig bench into raptures.

Leipzig's response to going 23-22 down with 90 seconds left decided the game. Rather than panicking, they went straight down the court, Semper equalised from close range, and then forced a turnover that allowed Semper to seal the win with the last play of the match. Minden had no time to reply.

• Franz Semper (Leipzig) — The German international scored twice in the final two minutes, including the dramatic winner. His composure under pressure proved decisive.
• Morten Hempel Jensen (Minden) — A relentless presence throughout, he scored six goals and kept Minden in the game during their second-half fightback.
• Finn Schroven (Leipzig) — Three first-half goals helped Leipzig recover from an early deficit and kept them within touching distance.
• Philipp Vorlicek-Michalczik (Minden) — Four goals in the first half were instrumental in Minden's 12-11 lead at the break.

Player of the match: Franz Semper (Leipzig)

Leipzig's 24-23 victory reflects a match of remarkable parity rather than dominance. The game featured seven lead changes, and neither side led by more than three goals at any stage. Minden's strong first half (12-11) was undone by Leipzig's sharper finishing after the break — the hosts scored 13 second-half goals to Minden's 11. The fact that four of the last five goals came in the final six minutes underscores how evenly matched these two relegated sides are. Both teams clearly retain top-flight quality; the difference in the end was Leipzig's ability to execute in the final 60 seconds.

Leipzig collect their first two points of the 2. Bundesliga season and send an early message to their promotion rivals. For Minden, this will feel like a missed opportunity — leading in the final minute away from home and failing to close out. Both sides are tipped as promotion contenders after dropping out of the Bundesliga together, and the margins between them could not be narrower. Leipzig travel to TuSEM Essen next (date TBC), while Minden host TuS N-Lübbecke on 6 September.

A classic 2. Bundesliga opener that justified every bit of pre-match hype. Leipzig and Minden look evenly matched, and the narrow one-goal margin — identical to their final-day meeting in June — suggests their season-long battle for promotion will be every bit as tight.