Paris' European run continues

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On Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain Handball returned to the EHF Champions League after a three-week break. Their objective was to continue their strong fork and to stay in touch with Group A leader Veszprém. But their Matchday 5 mission was not the easiest, as they had to travel to take on Dinamo Bucharest.

The Parisian attack started powerfully and scored with each of its possessions. This efficiency allowed Les Rouge et Bleu to make the break as Luc Steins scored on the counter (5': 2-4). But then, things got complicated when the Romanian rear-guard took the upper hand. Our team could't find a solution and duly fell behind (8': 5-4). A new, more rhythmic game, in which both sides refused to conceded an inch, began (14': 7-8).

Raul Gonzalez's men managed get back in front on the scoreboard, but were still not safe (20': 11-13). In the last ten minutes of the first half, the capital club started hitting the target with more consistency. Kamil Syprzak with a penalty and Mathieu Grébille, who produced a magnificent chabala, got their team going in the right direction (27': 14-19). But it was above all Elohim Prandi who finished the half strongly! Effective in every sector, he launched a final laser-guided missile just before the buzzer! At half-time, Paris were six goals to the good.

After the break, Elo' got right back to it and Les Rouge et Bleus' lead continued to grow (36': 19-26). At the other end of the court, he was perfectly helped by a Jannick Green really finding his feet (38': 20-27). Our players were on fire and crept further ahead with each move (41': 20-28). At the approach of the last quarter of the game, they were well on top of a great Romanian team and looking good for the win (44': 21-29).

Bucharest did their best to come back at the end of the game, and they managed to make things difficult for our attack. But, while their defensive efficiency had returned, the home team still had to deal with the excellent Jannick when looking to score (52': 24-32). Despite this late push from the home side, Paris Saint-Germain Handball stayed comfortably in front (57': 27-33) until the final buzzer confirmed an excellent victory. Paris Saint-Germain Handball have now won four European matches in a row and remains well placed in the race for the first two places (which qualify directly for the quarter-finals).

(Credits: L. Valroff/Team Pics/PSG)