Key stats from the EHF Champions League group stage

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Now that the EHF Champions League group stage has ended after fourteen intense matches, it's time to look back at the key stats for our Rouge et Bleus, who finished fourth in Group A.

At the end of a group phase full of twists and turns, the capital club had to settle for fourth place in Group A. Les Rouge et Bleu will therefore go through to the play-offs, where they will face Hungarian side Szeged for a place in the quarter-finals. Before that, it's time to take one last look at the opening phase of the EHF Champions League campaign.

Parisian prowess in attack...

While our Rouge et Bleu racked up the fifth-best attacking record in the group stage (427 goals), it was in terms of efficiency that Paris really stood out. With an impressive 69.3% of shots on target, no Raul Gonzalez's men were the most clinical side in the competition.

This efficiency is largely due to the strength of the Parisian collective, which has in its ranks many talents capable of making the difference at any time. From the very first day, Kamil Syprzak was defending his title of top European scorer from last season, and looked se4t to do just that with an 11-goal haul against Pelister (31-29).

The Polish international sent out a clear message, as only four other players managed to equal the performance of the Rouge et Bleu pivot in a single match during this group stage. After 14 days, Kamil remains in contention to retain his title with third place in the goalscorers' standings (84 goals).

To score, you also need to be well served. And for that, the Parisians can count on the accuracy and liveliness of Luc Steins. Always on the ball, the centre half of the capital club dominates the passers' standings (63 passes) as the start of the knockout phase approaches.

… et rigoureux en défense

Certaines rencontres se jouent sur des détails, mais peuvent changer le cours d’une saison. En déplacement sur le terrain de Plock lors de la troisième journée, Paris avait alors à cœur de retrouver le chemin de la victoire après la débâcle subie à Veszprém la semaine précédente (41-28). Au terme d’une lutte intense, cet objectif était atteint pour nos joueurs, et ce grâce à un Andreas Palicka XXL.

Avec 13 parades, dont celle de la victoire sur un jet de 7m au buzzer, le portier Rouge et Bleu affichait une réussite de 48.15%. Au cours de l’ensemble de cette phase de groupes, seuls Matej Mandic (54% avec Zagreb contre Magdeburg) et André Kristensen (50% avec le Sporting contre Fredericia) ont fait mieux. Autre preuve de la justesse défensive de nos Rouge et Bleu : leur discipline. Avec une moyenne de 2.6 suspensions de deux minutes par match, le club de la capitale est roi dans cet exercice.

So, that's how Raul Gonzalez's men concluded an encouraging group stage, and it is now time to look ahead to what is to come. Because, although several Parisians have joined up with their national teams this week for the first international break of the season, it won't be long before the Parisians are back in competitive action. The capital club will travel to Hungary to face Szeged on 27 March, with the return to will take place a week later, on 3 April, at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin.

(Credits: E. Renard/Team Pics/PSG)