Paris put on winning show
Après un revers en Espagne, les Rouge et Bleu se relancent de la meilleure des manières à domicile en @ehfcl avec une très belle victoire face à Aalborg 37-24 !
— PSG Handball (@psghand) November 2, 2019
Rendez-vous mercredi dans le nord de l'Allemagne pour affronter @SGFleHa #PSGAAL pic.twitter.com/gkeM5g9VY5
The context:
After a two-weeks international break, Paris Saint-Germain Handball returned to competition on Saturday afternoon, Raul Gonzalez's playing host to Aalborg in Velux EHF Champions League Round 6 action at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin. Before the match, the two teams shared Group A co-leader status with Barcelona (eight points from four wins and one loss). Any winner would see their opponent on the night lose ground in the race for group supremacy.
The match:
Although there were early struggles in attack (6': 2-4), Les Rouge et Bleu could count on the return of Sander Sagosen to get them back in the match. After several weeks of absence, the Norwegian international didn't waste any time getting back in the swing, hitting a penalty and then a quickly doubling up from open play to level matters (8': 4-4). A few minutes later, he was at the conclusion of a crisp counter-attack to give his team the lead (12': 7-6). But, while the capital club were in front, they weren't able to get clear and soon found themselves back at level pegging (18': 9-9). However, when Mikkel Hansen marked his return to action - and to Coubertin - with a successful penalty throw (20': 11-9), Paris made the break. In fine form, the Dane then smashed a shot in off the post to put his compatriots further adrift (24': 14-10). Our team were defensively solid and shut the visitors out for long stretches, thanks to an excellent Rodrigo Corrales (27': 15-10). With this perfect blend, Les Rouge et Bleu hit the dressing room at half-time with a confidence-inspiring lead (30': 18-11).
When the game restarted, our players continued to build on their momentum (31': 19-11). Soon they took a 10-goal lead, with captain Luka Karabatic angling a superb shot across the Danes' 'keeper (33': 21-11). Our team's success owed plenty to its cutting edge but also to Rodri, who was imperious in goal. The Spanish shot-stopper saved two penalties and stymied almost all the Danish attacks (41': 25-14). Meanwhile, up front, our lads continued the offensive, with Luka running the Aalborg defence ragged. Our pivot won all his duels and scored three goals in just ten minutes (43': 27-14). At the same time, Viran Morros showed how well he can combine defence and attack, moving forward to hit a quick-fire triple that stretched the lead to 14 goals (45': 28-14). As the final minutes approached, the outcome of the match no longer seemed in doubt (50': 30-18). Benoit Kounkoud then convinced the most sceptical by defying the laws of gravity and beating Mikael Aggefors (54': 33-21). In the end, the Parisians controlled the match and imposed themselves with authority (37-24).
The Parisian of the match: Luka Karabatic
Injured in late September, Sander Sagosen made an excellent return to action (5 from 6) and could have won this honour. But in the end it was our captain, Luka Karabatic, who shone the brightest! As was the case against Barcelona two weeks ago, our pivot didn't miss a single shot and finished the game with a 100% record in front of goal, top scoring with five strikes.
The word: Leader
Thanks to this great victory, Paris Saint-Germain Handball are back on track in this group phase following defeat in Barcelona in Round 5). The Catalans, who also have 10 points, have a better head-to-head goal difference. But more importantly, the win saw Paris relegate Aalborg to the role of chaser in third place, two point adrift. The battle for first - a finish that secured direct qualification for the quarter-finals - promises to be tough until the end!
Coming up:
Paris' next match will also be on the European stage! Indeed, Les Rouge et Bleu will play a third consecutive Champions League match on Wednesday evening, travelling to Germany to face Flensburg in Round 7. A mouth-watering encounter between two first-place contenders!
(Credits: TeamPics/PSG)