First round to Paris

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On Sunday afternoon, Paris Saint-Germain Handball had the opportunity to win the first trophy of their pre-season; the capital club faced Nantes, in the final of the Euro Tournament, in Sélestat.

Well grounded after their success the day before againstPorto (31-28), Les Rouge et Bleu didn't need much time get into the game. From the first minutes, under the impetus of the very skilful Elohim Prandi (best young player of the tournament), our team took the lead - thanks to their very solid defending as much as their aplomb in front of goal.

The rare cracks in the Parisian wall were well filled by Man of the Match Jannick Green, who loomed large to make the goal look tiny. The Dane's superb double save to deny Nantes from the penalty line perfectly encapsulated his firs-half performance. Offensively, David Balaguer also hurt his former teammates. Well served on his right wing, he allowed his team to break clear and hit the locker room with a six-goal lead (30': 11-17).

The beginning of the second half was more delicate for Raul Gonzalez's men. Nantes made up some of their deficit, but could not get back to within one goal. Andreas Palicka (best goalkeeper of the tournament) pushed The H back to the limit by saving two penalties, but also by winning several duels at close range. At the other end of the court, it was once again the young Gautier Loredon who kept our opponents at bay.

With 15 minutes left to play, Les Rouge et Bleu were in a favorable position, with a +6 lead once again. But, little by little, Nantes came back and it took goals from Dainis Kristopans and Kamil Syprzak to prevent a leveller. Paris Saint-Germain Handball bent, but did not break and ended up running out winners but only by the smallest of margins (30-29). But Euro Tournament 2022 winners they were, and deservedly so.

It was the last pre-season match for the capital club, who will be back in the competition next Saturday as they contest the Trophée des Champions... against Nantes!

(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)