Elohim Prandi: 'Start the year in the best possible way'

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Just a few days after being crowned European champion with France, Elohim Prandi is back on duty with the capital club. It was an opportunity for him to reflect on his first international title and look ahead to the second half of Les Rouge et Bleus’ season.

ON TOP OF EUROPE

After two weeks of intense competition, a France side led by Nikola and Luka Karabatic and Elohim Prandi won their fourth European Championship title. Before beating Denmark in the final, the Tricolores gave their all during a particularly gruelling tournament, as Elohim explained: "We went all the way and achieved the goals we set for ourselves. It was a tough competition, both physically and psychologically, but we were able to build up our strength as the matches went on. It wasn't always easy, but in the end, we've got the gold medal and that's all that matters to us."

After an imperious first half of the season with the capital club, our No.71 continued his fine form under Guillaume Gille during the Euros. Among his 18 goals was an heroic strike against Sweden, which will go down in the annals of the European Championship. It was an historic moment for the Parisian right-back: "I didn't feel particularly nervous before shooting, because in any case, it was make or break. I was more concerned with analysing the best position to take and the ideal technique to maximise the chances of a successful free-throw. I'm aware of what I can do. The environment and the situation made it a special moment, but I've already scored some decisive goals. It was important for me to score, because if I didn't, we'd have been eliminated and our tournament would have been over. Even if there was going to be a bronze medal match, we weren't there for that."

 

However, the Tricolore now wants to focus on some crucial upcoming matches: "That's all in the past now. It will remain a wonderful memory, of course, but I'm back in Paris now and what matters to me is seeing what we can produce in the second half of the season."

FEBRUARY: A CAPITAL MONTH FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON

Raul Gonzalez's men will be back in action on Sunday when they host Nîmes in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France, and are preparing for a number of crucial fixtures in February. For Elohim, the important thing is not to drop points unnecessarily, and to be serious and rigorous: "We want to start this year in the best possible way and continue on all fronts. In the EHF Champions League, we have two fixtures, against Pelister and Kielce. It's important not to lose any points along the way," he said, before stressing the importance of the clash with Kielce, which "will also be crucial, as we'll need to win to try and qualify as one of the top two teams in the group." This would give the capital club direct access to the quarter-finals of the competition.

On top of the Champions League clashes, the league also has a number of top-of-the-table encounters in store, with trips to Montpellier and Nantes over the next five weeks. "Montpellier are our main rivals for the French league title. It's important to win these games to confirm our status on the national stage," revealed Elo', before adding that "we'll need to be very rigorous in February and March. It will be crucial to perform at our best so that we can play on all fronts until the end of the season."

START THE YEAR BY QUALIFYING AGAINST NÎMES

Having spent three seasons with Nîmes, Elohim is wary of USAM, a side that has earned the status of a tricky team in recent seasons: "This first match against Nîmes is going to be capital. This team never gives up," said Les Rouge et Bleus’ right-back, before stressing the importance of this competition. "It's up to us to be serious and perform well from the outset. There's a semi-final place in the Coupe de France at stake, and we can't give them any hope. It's a very important competition for us."

A month and a half ago, it was against the same opponents that the capital club ended 2023. Thanks to another accomplished victory (24-34), Les Rouge et Bleu maintained their perfect start to the season. Elohim has nothing but positive things to say about the match: "We were serious throughout the match, creating a gap fairly quickly and pushing on for the win. It's always difficult to play at the Parnasse in Nîmes. Ths time it's at home and I hope we can raise our game and do even better at Coubertin. We're off to a good start and we need to hit the ground running."

(Credits: L. Valroff/Team Pics/PSG)