With just a few days to go before Les Rouge et Bleu return to action in the Coupe de France quarter-finals, it's time to delve back into the competition's archives. We take a look back at the quarter-finals that have marked the history of the capital club.
The Coupe de France is the first major trophy that Paris Saint-Germain Handball ever won, and now that the club has a total of six wins in the tournament, it occupies a special place in the club's history. Before looking back at that evening in 2007, let's go back even further, to the origins of our handball section. The first time Les Rouge et Bleu won a quarter-final was in 1994-1995. Then known as PSG-Asnières, the men from the capital defeated the great US Ivry (60-50) of a certain Raoul Prandi, father of Elohim. Things were different in those days, as these matches were played over two legs.
Les Rouge et Bleu earned a reputation as a tricky team, and with good reason. In the quarter-finals of the 1997-1998 season, Nicolas Cochery's men knocked out Chambéry (53-51) when they were reigning French league runners-up. After four consecutive wins at this stage of the competition, Paris even tasted a final for the first time in 2001. After several years of alternating victories and disappointments, the capital club booked its place in the semi-finals in 2007 thanks to a last-gasp win over Saint-Marcel Vernon (22-23). It was a seminal success, as a few weeks later Thierry Anti's men claimed the first trophy in club history, against Pays d'Aix (28-21).
In recent history, Paris have been involved in a number of bizarre quarter-final encounters. Among them, the trip to Toulouse in 2013-2014 remains one of the most memorable. Having beaten Montpellier in the previous round (26-27), the Parisians were held to a draw by a valiant Fenix side (37-37). It was only after a breathtaking penalty shoot-out that Les Rouge et Bleu booked their place in the final four. Buoyed by these two remarkable victories, they went on to win the second Coupe de France in their history a month later, beating Chambéry 27-31.
Although they have never faced Nantes at this stage of the competition, Les Rouge et Bleu have often crossed paths with their other great rival, Montpellier, in the quarters. In 2022, Raul it was as reigning champions that Gonzalez's men welcomed MHB to Coubertin. At the end of a perfect match, marked in particular by the stunning Vincent Gérard (19 saves), Les Rouge et Bleu notched the biggest victory in their history in the competition (41-24). It was another seminal victory, as Paris went on to win their sixth and final Coupe de France.
Next up for Les Rouge et Bleu is a quarter-final match-up they haven't had before. They face the two-time defending champions in a return to competitive action after more than a month's break. All the ingredients are in place for another memorable evening at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin.
Last tickets for Paris-Nantes!
(Credits: Team Pics/PSG)