First official win of the season!

Match reports

On Tuesday evening, Paris Saint-Germain Handball officially kicked off their 2023-2024 season with a round of 16 match in the Coupe de France. Les Rouge et Bleu travelled to Frontignan, who play in the ProLigue. But in the cauldron of the Salle des Sports Henri Ferrari, the game was far from a foregone conclusion.

Spurred on by their fans, the home side got off to a great start. Our players were heckled, but responded well thanks to their captain, hometown kid Luka Karabatic. However, the Parisians were still chasing the game and trailed by as many as two points at times. The pace of the game was very high, interrupted only by problems with the scoreboard. In the second part of the first period, Raul Gonzalez's men imposed their rhythm on a side that was losing its own, and that paved the way for the match to be turned by the onslaught of Ferran Solé Sala. At the break, Paris had made the break and led by five points (30': 20-25).

Frontignan came back from the break with the same intentions as at the start of the match and managed to claw back their deficit. Despite a few successful Parisian attacks, the wind was now at our opponents' backs and they managed to slug their way back into the game. For much of the second half, Les Rouge et Bleu were in the ascendancy, but they remained unable to break away. The atmosphere was not easy either, with the crowd becoming increasingly passionate in support of their heroes. In the end, it took several last-gasp saves from Andreas Palicka to allow the capital club to take the lead. And that was enough for victory (60': 38-42). Paris Saint-Germain Handball's progress in the Coupe de France continues after this success against a fine Frontignan team. On Saturday, our players will take on Nantes in the final of the Trophée des Champions in Cesson-Rennes.

REACTIONS FROM PATRICE ANNONAY, LUC STEINS AND FERRAN SOLE SALA:

(Credits: L. Valroff/TeamPics/PSG)