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Laser-focused, Paris return to winning ways in Fredericia

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On Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain handball won away to Fredericia (32-38) in their EHF Champions League Matchday 12 clash. Here's our look back our Rouge et Bleus' excellent evening in Denmark.

As we approach the end of the EHF Champions League group stage, each match becomes a high-stakes affair with serious consequences. This was the case with this clash of extremes between Fredericia and Paris. While one could be officially eliminated from its first ever Champions League campaign in the event of defeat, the other could see its chances of qualifying directly for the quarter-finals diminish a little more. With the Danes keen to perform in front of their home crowd and keep their hopes of an unprecedented qualification alive, Raul Gonzalez's men had to redouble their efforts to avoid a second consecutive misstep after the one conceded at Coubertin against Plock (28-31) in the previous round.

Pressure-free Fredericia

And in an extra boost for their players, Fredericia could count on a packed crowd that turned out for their first real home game of the season, the previous matches having been played in neighbouring Odense. Unsurprisingly sold out for the visit of the Parisian armada, the Middelfart Sparekasse Arena pushed its team from the very first minutes. And that was enough for Gudmundur Gudmundsson's men to quickly catch the Parisian rearguard of balance (3-1, 4').

As is often the case, Les Rouge et Bleu proved patient at the start of the match, assessing opportunities and trying to find openings to make the difference. For Paris, that opportunity came in the form of Kamil Syprzak. Without hesitation, the competition's third-highest scorer so far drew his side level from the seven-metre line (3-3, 9'). Fredericia's hitherto fairly clumsy attacking play took advantage of Luc Steins' temporary send-off to move up a gear andmake the break (8-5, 15').

Rotation pays off

Seeing his men struggling with the final ball, Raul Gonzalez decided to make his first substitutions after the first quarter of an hour. Dani Baijens was the first to make his mark, scoring twice in the opening minutes to get Paris back on track (8-7, 17'). The Dutch international then turned provider for Jacob Holm, who also did well off the bench, putting the capital club in the lead (13-14, 24').

Ambitious and not willing to give up the upper hand, Fredericia immediately decided to react by calling a time-out. It was a choice that paid off for the Scandinavians, who took advantage of a high rebound during a seven-man Parisian attack to take the lead at the buzzer. Trailing by one goal at the break, Paris had everything to play for in the second half (17-16, 30').

Andreas Palicka takes charge

Continuing on from their fine end to the first act, Fredericia made the rbeak as soon as they returned from the changing rooms thanks to some clinical work in front of goal. However, the Parisians soon took charge - starting with Elohim Prandi, who scored twice to bring his team level with the Danes, while at the same time scored the 300th goal of his EHF Champions League career (19-19, 36').

So, as has often been the case since the resumption of competitions in early February, this match seemed set to play out on the slightest of details that could an impact on both the score and the opponents' morale. And in that realm, Palicka is king. Having just come on to face his compatriot Kasper Palmar from the seven-metre line, the Swedish goalkeeper started as he meant to continue - in imperious fashion. At the same time, Kamil confirmed his excellent form and scored a quick-fire trople to give Les Rouge et Bleu a two-goal lead with a quarter of an hour to go (23-25, 45').

Efficiency saves the day

Now with much more cutting edge in attack, the Parisians were also completely impenetrable in defence. Merciless against the Danish team, who could find no solutions, Andreas made a fourth save, while Elo's fifth goal gave Les Rouge et Bleu a definitive advantage (24-29, 50'). With no suspense left, the final stages saw the capital club improve its stats, Kamil Syprzak notably adding a ninth goal to his tally (26-32, 54').

United in and focused on their mission, Raul Gonzalez's men returned to the win column by dominating a valiant Fredericia team (32-38), thus putting pressure on Füchse Berlin and Sporting CP in the race for direct qualification for the quarter-finals. The win also allowed the capital club to regain confidence before the last home clash of this group stage against leaders Veszprém on the next matchday.

Next for Les Rouge et Bleu

After two consecutive away games, the capital club will be back in front of theri home crowd at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin for Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 17 on Sunday.

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(Credits: L. Valroff/PSG)