Getting back in the swing

News

The context:
Two days after their first preparatory match in Kiel (30-34), Paris Saint-Germain Handball began their Danish tour on Friday afternoon. On this occasion, they were up against Aarhus for a charity match to benefit Mikkel Hansen's association, which fights against harassment at school.

The summary:
In front of their fans, the home side seemed ready to lead their visitors a merry dance. However, Mikkel Hansen was not in a patriotic mood and failed to play into Aarhus's plans (6': 3-3). Les Rouge et Bleu, still in the early stages of pre-season preparations, lacked the fluidity to pull off all their early attacks and the power of Nedim Remili - as well as the technique of Sander Sagosen - were needed to balance in Paris' favour (14': 5-6). The advantage grew in the following minutes, as Vincent Gérard got into the swing, winning several one-on-ones and saving a penalty (24': 8-10). Just before the break, Mikki sent a missile into the Danish goal and allowed his team to return to the dressing room two steps ahead (12-14).

In the second half, Raul Gonzalez's men came back out with even better intentions, and it was no surprise to see them widen the gap with several counter-attacks, like the one scored by Dylan Nahi (32': 12-18). Already very good in the first half, the back base duo of Nedim Remili and Sander Sagosen also continued to fire. The two Parisians took turns finding the net and their team maintained a healthy lead (43': 20-26). Despite a valiant performance from Aarhus side, the end of the match was one-way traffic, with Mikkel hitting a quick-fire double (53': 23-32) and Kamil Syprzak scoring a magnificent goal from the edge of the area (57': 24-35).

In the end, Paris Saint-Germain Handball won out (24-35) and continued their pre-season preparations in style. On Sunday, they will challenge another Danish team in the form of Holstebro.

(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)