Bitter defeat
On Thursday evening, it was without the Karabatic brothers and Dylan Nahi that Paris Saint-Germain Handball travelled to Kielce, for a massive EHF Champions League Matchday 5 challenge. But as Nedim Remili reminded us during the day, it is exactly this kind of match that the players look forward to!
Very quickly, the Parisian right-back and his teammates put their money where their mouth is, racking up an early advantage. While Yann Genty distinguished himself by scoring a goal, it was Mikkel Hansen who started the strongest - on his 33rd birthday - helping his team to make the break.
7' : Combien de buts pour @mikkelhansen24 ? (4-6) #LVKPSG pic.twitter.com/rEoSVVWSQA
— PSG Handball (@psghand) October 22, 2020
Focused in every area, Raul Gonzalez's men were off to the perfect start, managing to go three goals clear after a goal by Henrik Toft Hansen (10': 6-9).
But to think that the game was to be just a walk in the park would be a big mistake! Kielce gradually clawed their way back and levelled matters (18': 11-11). The two teams both brought the action, with Paris managing to break clear again (24': 13-16) only for Kielce find the answers. At the break, scores were still level!
View this post on InstagramC'est la pause à Kielce, les deux formations sont à dos après une belle première période ! #LVKPSG
Despite an early goal from Mikky, the second half didn't start as well as the first (35': 22-20). The Poles proved much more skilful in attack and had 'keeper Andreas Wolff in fine form, thwarting our attacking line (40': 26-22). The Parisians now found themselves obliged to chase the match (42': 28-24), but they managed to get back within a goal (48': 29-28). They then tightened the ranks defensively and it was Kielce's turn to struggle in attack, faced with out goal-keeping duo of Yann Genty and Vincent Gérard. Nedim Remili took advantage, finding the back of the net to level the scores!
51' : @Nedim_Remili remet les compteurs à zéro ! (29-29) #VLKPSG pic.twitter.com/L0p4tmP0se
— PSG Handball (@psghand) October 22, 2020
As expected, the final minutes were breathless! The two teams duked it out, both literally and figuratively (54': 31-31). Tension mounted and there was a wave of technical errors on both sides (57': 32-32). But, unfortunately, Kielce produced the sharper cutting edge in the final seconds and clinched it at the death.
(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)