A European evening to forget

Comptes-rendus

Guilty of numerous technical errors and lacking cutting edge against a great Roland Mikler, Paris Saint-Germain Handball lost to Szeged in the second leg of their EHF Champions League play-off at Coubertin (25-35). We look back on this difficult evening that marked the end of Les Rouge et Bleus' European journey for the season.

Exactly a week ago, Raul Gonzalez's men put up a real fight against Szeged in a boisterous Pick Aréna. After sixty minutes of top-level handball, our Rouge et Bleu managed to clinch a crucial victory to put them in the driver's seat ahead of the eagerly awaited return leg at Coubertin (30-31). With only a one-goal lead over the Hungarians, the Parisians had no room for error and could not afford to be complacent. For Les Rouge et Bleu, as for Szeged, there was only one objective in mind tonight: to earn a place in the quarter-finals against reigning European champions Barcelona.

An encouraging start

In these big matches where details can make the difference, a good defence is essential. Solid in the first leg, Jannick Green and Roland Mikler both sent a message to their opponents by proving resolute from the very first minutes (3': 0-0). While his Hungarian counterpart cracked twice in the face of Kamil Syprzak's power, Jannick won his duels in quick succession against the Hungarians‘ offensive line (6’: 2-1).

As the minutes passed, the Hungarian team made more and more mistakes. After an initial two-minute suspension, Szeged kept on forcing the issue and committing technical fouls. Paris immediately took the upper hand, and Yahia gave Paris their first break (10‘: 4-2). Michael Apelgren's men battled to stay in touch with our Les Rouge et Bleu, but the capital club's offensive line was proving clinical (15’: 7-5).

Szeged merciless

However, when Paris found themselves a man down, the visitors managed to catch up and regain confidence in this hard-fought first half (19': 8-8). Raul Gonzalez reacted immediately by calling the first time-out of the match, but Szeged showed courage to continue their resurgence and take the lead (23': 9-11). From his left wing, Wallem Peleka looked to sound the charge (25': 10-12).

However, the Hungarians stepped it up again towards the end of the first period (28': 10-14). Raul Gonzalez decided to make several substitutions in an attempt to reverse the trend, and Kent Robin Tonnesen, Andreas Palicka and Ruben Marchan came on. But Paris struggled to get back into the game and went into the dressing room six goals behind (30': 11-17). They would have to show a completely different face in the second half to qualify.

Mistakes cost dearly

As soon as the match resumed, the Coubertin faithful showed that they understood their mission clearly: to spur the capital club on in their bid to make up the five-goal deficit (taking into account its advantage from the first leg). While Andreas Palicka won his first duel, two referee decisions in quick succession put Paris's back to the wall (33': 12-18). At that point Szeged conceded two quick suspensions, but our Rouge et Bleu nonetheless continued to struggle to make up the deficit (38': 14-21).

While openings were being created in the Hungarian defence, Raul Gonzalez's men made one technical error after another and the gap remained significant as the last quarter of an hour approached (44': 17-25). As the minutes went by, the hopes of a comeback seemed to diminish more and more. Szeged continued to hit their marks in front of a Coubertin crowd that was still cheering Paris on (50': 19-30). Despite a few last-ditch efforts on both sides, Paris's comeback was not to be. Faced with Szeged's ruthless performance, Les Rouge et Bleu stumbled and saw their European adventure come to an end (60': 25-35).

What's next for Les Rouge et Bleu

Still in the running to win a 12th French championship title and the seventh Coupe de France in club history, Paris Saint-Germain Handball have many crucial fixtures in the coming weeks. They start this Sunday with a trip to Chartres for Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 22. Raul Gonzalez's men will then make their return to Coubertin on Wednesday 9 April to challenge Chambéry in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France.

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(Credits: J-M Hervio)