On Thursday evening, Paris Saint-Germain Handball could make real strides in EHF Champions League Group B if they can repeat their Matchday 7 triumph over Porto when they play the second leg of their double-header in Portugal.
The first match
Last week, it was the Portuguese who travelled to face Les Rouge et Bleu, but it was our players turned in a superb performance to claim two important points (33-19). In terms of individual performances, Kamil Syprzak (8 from 9) and Vincent Gérard were both outstanding.
The Parisian defence
Vincent was impressive against the Porto attack. He gave them a torrid time of it for 30 minutes, making nine saves from 15 shots and conceding just four goals in the whole first half (30': 18-4). In fact, he came very close to matching Kiel's tournament record, set in 2015 against Metalurg Skopje. That day, the Germans went into the break having conceded just three goals (30': 17-3).
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The table
The victory over Porto at Coubertin saw Raul Gonzalez's men move closer to top two places and the direct quarter-final qualification that goes with them. Indeed, following defeats for Veszprém (in Zaporozhye, 29-27) and Barcelona (at home against Kielce, 30-32), the capital club is now only two points off second, currently occupied by the Catalans.
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Porto, for their part, have had a bad run and see the red zone closing in. They are just ahead of Flensburg thanks to a better goal difference a 28-27 win for the Portuguese on Matchday 2). A defeat against Paris, combined with a good result for Flensburg in Bucharest, would plunge Porto directly into the bottom two places.
PSG well in front and Luc Steins showing us some dance moves! 🕺💥 @psghand #ehfcl pic.twitter.com/vOut1C7mHO
— EHF Champions League (@ehfcl) November 18, 2021
The last trip to Porto
Last season, the two teams faced off in the same group, and Porto caused the Parisians a lot of problems in the first leg in Portugal last November. Paris were four points behind at the break (30': 16-12), but came out for the second half with much better intentions and completely turned the situation around. Our players powered on to get the win with a thrilling second-half display (31-34).
To follow the match (kick-off at 20:45 CET, 19:45 local time):
- Television: Eurosport Player
- Our social networks: via our live-tweet
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(Credits: A. Gadoffre/TeamPics/PSG)