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On Sunday afternoon, Paris Saint-Germain Handball played the final fixture of Liqui Moly StarLigue Round 7. Three days after a trip to Barcelona (30-27), it was another big clash that awaited the capital club away from home: the dangerous mission of a trip to Montpellier. Although they have a had a rough start to the season and were sitting in eight place on the table heading into this clash, the MHB were still a dangerous opponent with plenty of means and motivation to prevent Les Rouge et Bleu from consolidating top spot and continuing their perfect start to the season.
🎙️Ferran Solé Sala : « Gagner face à concurrent », avant #MHBPSG !
— PSG Handball (@psghand) October 24, 2021
From the outset, this classic French handball fixture lived up to all its promise. The two teams went at it blow for blow at both ends of the court and neither one could break clear (6': 4-4). But gradually, led by the excellent Kamil Syprzak and Dainis Kristopans, who scored with all their attempts, the Parisians took the upper hand and made the first break of the game (11': 4-8). But of course, against a home team encouraged by a superb atmosphere in the Sud de France Arena, the game was far from over (16': 8-11).
Les Rouge et Bleu were pushed to the limit and found themselves two men down following the successive send-offs of Benoît Kounkoud and Nedim Remili (18': 10-12). But even with five men, they still managed to keep their Moses in front (19': 10-14). Although the Parisian defence was punished for several minutes, the attack felt no knock-on were able to score from almost all their attempts (26': 15-18). At the break, after a burst of acceleration from the home side, the game remained very tight.
Despite being ahead bon the scoreboard (34': 18-21), Paris were at times buffeted by Montpellier and Vincent Gérard was obliged to work hard to prevent the home side from getting back on level terms (36': 20-21). This warning spurred our players back into action, with Elohim Prandi restoring a three-goal buffer (38': 20-23). But the momentum in the match kept switching so often that even the scoreboard didn't know where to turn (40': 22-23). Our last rampart then saved another potential equaliser and our team made the break again, in a match that was becoming completely crazy (42': 22-24).
At the beginning of the last quarter of an hour, MHB managed to catch up (45': 24-24) and even take the lead (47': 26-25). But the match remained as unpredictable as ever... In the space of a few seconds - after a double from Benoît Kounkoud and a goal by Luc Steins - the capital club carved out a two-goal lead (49': 26-28), before being caught barely a minute later (50': 28-28), then overtaken (52': 29-28). In the final ten minutes, the Parisian offensive line had more difficulties... and Montpellier's took full advantage to go to +2 for the first time of the match (54': 31-29).
Raul Gonzalez then threw caution to the win and opted for a seven-man attack, a move the bore fruit almost immediately (58': 33-29). In the final seconds of the match, the last possession was Parisian. Our players kept the shot clock ticking until Mikkel Hansen - right on the the buzzer - found the top corner to hand victory to Paris Saint-Germain Handball!
Le shoot, la réaction du banc, tout y est 🤯🤯
— Ligue Nationale de Handball (@LNHofficiel) October 24, 2021
Quel match, quelle fin, merci aux deux équipes pour ce magnifique spectacle ! 🙏pic.twitter.com/YA2r3j2fFe
Paris Saint-Germain Handball thus took a seven-point lead over their opponents on the night and continue their perfect run in the league!
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(Credits: A. Gadoffre/TeamPics/PSG)