Saturday's semi-final in the Champions League started as a bit of a nightmare for Mathias Gidsel, who received a red card after just eight minutes.
But from the stands, Füchse Berlin's biggest star could see his teammates beat Nantes 34-24 anyway.
Gidsel's compatriot Lasse Andersson contributed to the win with seven goals, while goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev with his 15 saves frustrated the French outfit time and time again.
Füchse Berlin began the game in bright fashion but had a major scare, when Gidsel slipped in a defensive action and inadvertently hit winger Kauldi Odriozola with a sliding tackle.
The match's pair of referees chose to review the episode on video and subsequently sent off Gidsel.
Clearly frustrated, Gidsel was comforted by his teammates, who offered encouraging words to the Danish national team player on his way off the court.
But judging from the performance for the rest of the match, it was hardly visible that the Berlin outfit had lost their most important player.
Backed by a passionate crowd at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, the German champions ran riot against Nantes, who had no answer to Füchse's relentless attacking game and their physical strength.
On top of the win, Füchse Berlin can also take heart from the fact that they will have Gidsel back for Sunday's final.
Barcelona and Magdeburg meet in the second semi-final on Saturday night.