A thrilling draw

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On Wednesday evening, Paris Saint-Germain Handball travelled to Nîmes for their Lidl StarLigue Round 4 clash, but neither side was able to dispose of the other as they drew 28-28 in an entertaining match.

Things started slowly, with our players stymied by a solid Nîmes defence. It wasn't until the seventh minute that Nedim Remili scored Paris' first goal (2': 2-1), but even then the capital club couldn't hit their. Meanwhile, the Green Machine began to fire and quickly made the break (12': 7-3). For a long while, it was the same scenario as in their clash last season, but finally a penalty save from Rodrigo Corrales (14': 7-4), got his side going in the right direction (17': 7-6). Nedim, in excellent form (9 goals), levelled matter just before the break (26': 10-10) and would have put his side in front had the cross-bar not sent his shot ricocheting away just before the half-time buzzer (11-11).

 

The Rouge et Bleu took the lead for the first time early in the second half, with Mikkel Hansen doing the honours (31': 11-12) and inspiring a flood of goals tha culminated in Nikola Karabatic's putting his side three goals to the good (36': 14-17). But the toughest part was still to come… especially in a sold-out Parnasse arena! In the space of a few moments, the home side bridged the gap (41': 18-18) to set the stage for the tow sides to duke it out in the remaining minutes. The lead yo-yoed incessantly but neither side could break free (51': 23-23). This scenario lasted right through to the final minutes (54': 24-25 ; 56': 26-25), and even when Paris had their noses in front with seconds to go (59': 27-28), Nîmes pivot Rémi Salou levelled again. Paris's last attack failed to yield a goal and the sides quit the court on level terms (28-28).

 

At the end of a spectacular match, Nîmes and Paris Saint-Germain Handball had to make do with just a point from their first draw of the season, but both sides retained their unbeaten status. The Rouge et Bleus' next test comes way to Zagreb in Velux EHF Champions League Round 3 action on Saturday.

The Parisian scorers:
Nedim Remili (9 goals), Mikkel Hansen (5),Nikola Karabatic (4), Amada Keita, Luc Abalo (3), Benoît Kounkoud (2), Sander Sagosen, Luka Karabatic (1).

The Parisian 'keeper:
Thierry Omeyer: 5 from 17 (29%), Rodrigo Corrales: 3 from 15 (20%)

(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)