Paris snatch it!

News

The context:
On Saturday afternoon, Paris Saint-Germain Handball were at the Hakons Hall in Lillehammer (Norway) to take part in Velux EHF Champions League Matchday 3 action. With four points from two games, Paris were up against an Elverum Handball side yet to open their account in the competition. But, in front of 12,500 people committed to the Norwegians' cause, the favourites tag was up for grabs.

The match:
The two teams circled each other for long minutes at the beginning of the match, scoring relatively few goals (6': 2-2). Then, galvanized by their fans, the locals started to find some solutions up front (15': 5-4), but above all, their finishing was clinical. Les Rouge et Bleu had great difficulty finding the net against a very aggressive defence (16': 6-4) but, after a tune-up by Raul Gonzalez, the machine finally kicked into gear! Adama Keita received the Spanish tactician's instructions perfectly and equalised with his fifth goal (20': 7-7) before giving Paris some breathing space (25': 8-11). The upper hand had changed sides and, after Rodrigo Corrales turned away a penalty, our team took a four-point lead into the break.

Although Paris lapsed somewhat as the match resumed (34': 12-14), they quickly regained control of matters (40': 14-18). Well led by their back-line, but also by an excellent Adama, our players went as far as six points ahead as Kim Ekdahl du Rietz buried a powerful shot (46': 15-21). With the final minutes approaching, Pairs looked well in control, but the Norwegians showed plenty of grit and dug deep. Elverum Handball's fight-back provided a breathless end to the match (54': 21-23). Ineffective in the offensive phases, Luka Karabatic and his team-mates relied on their defence to maintain their advantage. Rodrigo did the job, swatting away a second penalty (56': 21-23) before Dylan Nahi who scored the last goal of the game (22-25).

The Parisian of the match: Adama Keita
With an eight-goal haul (his record in the competition), Adama Keita finished the match as leading scorer. In particular, he was deadly form the penalty line, with several conversions. But the Parisian left-winger also showed a fine array of shots in open play, be it on the counter of from his preferred wide position, and he played a key role in his side's third win in as many matches in the competition this season.

The word: Record
12,500 spectators were present at the Hakons Hall, which is a new record for an indoor sport in Norway. Under the eyes of their injured compatriot, Sander Sagosen, who had made the trip with Les Rouge et Bleu, the fans were in fine voice throughout the match.

In the viewfinder:
A huge match awaits Paris Saint-Germain Handball! On Thursday, they will travel to Lidl StarLigue high-flyers Nîmes. The capital club sits atop the table with four wins in four games (eight points), while USAM are not far behind with five points. As a reminder, Paris have not won at Le Parnasse since November 2016.

(Credits: TeamPics/PSG)