Off to a strong start in the Eurotournoi

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After playing two matches in Denmark last week, Paris Saint-Germain Handball headed to Rhenus in Strasbourg to play the first of their three matches in the Eurotournoi - Thursday afternoon's handy 35-29 win over Meshkov Brest.

While Adama Keita was the first to find the back of the net (1': 1-0), it was the Belarusian side who got off to the better start (4': 1-3). For several long minutes, Paris chased the game without managing to get back on level terms (10': 5-6). But then the Parisian defence began to offer Brest's forwards fewer opportunities going forward. Rodrigo Corrales saves several penalties while the attackers, led by the excellent Sander Sagosen, turned things around (14': 9-8). After that point, the lead continued to grow, hitting +5 when the Norwegian skinned his marker and scored with an angled shot (25': 16-11). Despite Brest's getting back into the match somewhat towards the end of the first half, Raul Gonzalez's men were still in the lead when the half-time buzzer sounded (17-14).

As the second half began, Paris picked up where they left off in the first and quickly restored their five-goal lead (32': 19-14). Apart from a few periods, our team were in total control of the match, with wingers Luc Abalo and Uwe Gensheimer leading the way (42': 26-22). Our forwards didn't give the Brest defence a moment's rest, with Sander, Nedim Remili and Nikola Karabatic running rampant (45': 28-23). While there was no doubt as to the final outcome, our lads worked hard to put a gloss on the result, Niko scoring with a powerful shot (53': 32-27) while Uwe used his renowned technical prowess to find the openings (34-27). In the end, Paris Saint-Germain Handball ran out stylish 35-29 winners.

 

For their third pre-season match, the Rouge et Bleu turned in an accomplished performance to get their Eurotournoi off to the best possible start ahead of their follow-up clash with Vardar Skopje on Friday.

 

(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)