A controlled derby

News

The context:
Paris Saint-Germain Handball returned to Lidl StarLigue action on Wednesday evening after a week of cup clashes (a win over Montpellier in the Coupe de la Ligue and another over Pontault-Combault in the Coupe de France). Leading the league with 11 wins from 11 matches, Paris were looking to make it 12 from 12 as they travelled to relegation-threatened neighbours Tremblay, who had won just once since the beginning of the season. While the two teams occupied almost opposite ends of the ranking, it was still a derby in which victory was far from assured for the capital club.

The summary:
After several balanced minutes (7': 4-4), Les Rouge et Bleu gradually got their opponents' measure. Well led by a Mikkel Hansen who just couldn't miss from the penalty line, they made the break for the first time in the game (15': 9-11). The capital club strived to widen the gap throughout the remainder of the first half - sometimes with an added dash of style, like Gudjon Sigurdsson's sublime spin-shot (20': 10-14), Benoît Kounkoud's chabala (25': 16-20) and Viran Morros' goal from the middle of the court (27': 16-22). In the final minutes, the home side began to improve their cutting edge, but it didn't prevent Paris from going into the break four goals ahead (19-23).

At the beginning of the second half, the gap narrowed for a moment but Raul Gonzalez's men quickly resumed their forward march (35': 20-25). While Mikki remained in dominant form against home 'keeper Patrice Annonay (39': 22-27), Vincent Gérard also hit his straps, scoring from his own half (41': 22-28) on top of winning most of the challenges that the Tremblay forwards presented him with (45': 25-30). In the last quarter of an hour, Les Rouge et Bleu accelerated one last time and went even further clear (53': 29-36). Dylan Nahi, Kim Edkhal du Rietz and also Vincent (who saved a penalty from Luka Brkljacic), finished the match in dominant fashion and confirmed the Parisian win (32-41).

The Parisian of the match: Mikkel Hansen
Mikkel Hansen delivered yet another magnificent performance, top scoring in the match with 10 from 14. His season tally now sits at 57 goals and the Dane is 11th on the Lidl StarLigue scoring chart (with five matches less than most of his competitors).

The word: Flawless
After 12 rounds, Paris Saint-Germain Handball have 12 wins! A very good performance for the capital club, who maintain a six-point lead atop the standings.

Coming up:
There is only one game left for Les Rouge et Bleu in 2019. Before a two-month break - during which the European Championships will be held - they will host Dunkerque at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Lidl StarLigue Round 13 action on Wednesday evening.

(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)