The context:
After arriving in Slovenia on Saturday, Paris Saint-Germain Handball soon found out that they had qualified directly for the Velux EHF Champions League quarter-finals - thanks to second-placed Szeged's defeat in Nantes - before their Round 13 clash with Celje even began. Thus it was, with top spot officially in their grasp, that Paris took on a home side who needed a result on Sunday to keep their last 16 hopes alive.
The match:
While Uwe Gensheimer was the first player to strike (2’: 0-1), Paris Saint-Germain Handball got off to a very complicated start - especially in attack, where they fluffed their lines. Wayward shots and passes largely kept them from beating the vigilant Klemen Ferlin. The home side made the most of the dry spell and broke clear (15’: 10-5), but fortunately Rodrigo Corrales was in fine form and kept his side in it (19’: 10-7). The Spaniard's excellence proved contagious, his attacking teammates hitting their stride and putting them back on an even keel - notably as Luc Abalo conjured an inspired finish (21': 10-10). Despite falling behind once again (25’: 15-12) Paris levelled matters once again to in to the real neck and neck (17-17).
Les Rouge et Bleu did much better in the second half. From the off, they made the break with a string of successful counter-attacks converted by Uwe or Luc (35’: 21-24). For several long minutes, our side maintained a three-point lead over a side who began show signs of fatigue (44’: 26-29). In the final 15 minutes, Celje cracked completely and struggled to score at all. Meanwhile at the other end of the court, Sander Sagosen found plenty of space to work in as he put Paris four goals to the good (49’: 27-31), with Adama Keita (51’: 27-33) and Luka Stepancic (57’: 30-35) following suit. In the end, thanks to two final goals from Luka Karabatic and Kim Edkahl du Rietz, Paris Saint-Germain Handball clinched victory for their final away game father Velux EHF Champions League group stage (32-36).
A Parisian in the match: Rodrigo Corrales
We could have picked Nikola Karabatic's 5 from 5, or Luc Abalo's game-high eight-goal haul. But, during Les Rouge et Bleu's half-cooked opening period, it was Rodrigo Corrales who made sure that his side survived the Slovenian tornado. Our Spanish 'keeper single-handedly kept the home side from running away with the match just was they were at their most powerful. Even after this period of the match was over, the Spaniard continued to shine, helping our side to set up several successful counters. Rodrigo ended the match with 19 saves (37%).
The word: Business
Although they were already assured of topping Group B, Paris Saint-Germain Handball were all business against Celje. Despite the fact that they had to chase the match for a period in the first half, they wrested back control of the match and claimed a rousing win that augurs well ahead of the high-octane matches that await in the weeks to come.
Coming up:
After achieving their first European objective - topping Group B - Raul Gonzalez's men will look to translate their form back onto the domestic stage. They take on neighbours Tremblay in a derby marking the Lidl Starligue's Round 16. Then, next Sunday, they will play their final Champions League group stage match - at home to Zaporozhye.
(Credits: TeamPics/PSG)