Paris wow Coubertin to conclude 2024

Comptes-rendus

Paris Saint-Germain handball beat Saint-Raphaël 41-34 at Coubertin in their Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 15 clash on Friday. We take a look back at the match - the last one for 2024 ahead of a long international break!

It was the last match of the year for Les Rouge et Bleu! Facing Saint-Raphaël, the capital club were preparing to bring to a close twelve fruitful months marked by an 11th French championship title and many unforgettable memories, be it at Coubertin or on the road. Before celebrating the festive season and, for some, preparing for the 2025 World Cup next month, our Parisians faced a tough opponent. Saint-Raphaël, who had surprised everyone in the first half of the season by clmibing as high as fourth, were determined to give it their all. Beaten 34-31 in Nantes last week, Raul Gonzalez's menwere keen to end the year on a positive note in front of their loyal fans.

Buoyed by a full house at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin, it didn't take long for the Parisians to hit their stride. Jannick Green was at the top of his game in the opening minutes, making two strong saves while Kamil Syprzak and Luc Steins hit the target at the other end (3': 2-0). It was a particularly intense start to the match, with goals raining down on both sides. Shortly after Yahia Omar opened his account with a magnificent chabala, Kamil was bagging his third goal of the evening (6': 6-3). Our pivot was not the only one to shine in this first quarter of an hour: in defence, Jannick saved a penalty and forced the visitors to call a first time-out (8': 8-3). The stop in play had little effect on the desperate Provençal side, who had no answer to the onslaughts of Luc, Kamil and Yahia (13': 11-5). In this favourable early context, Raul Gonzalez did not hesitate to make his first changes.

In no time at all, Jacob Holm and Mathieu Grébille had joined the Parisian masterclass (18': 14-7). However, if there was one member of the capital club who shone particularly brightly under the Coubertin lights, it was Kamil. In Olympic form, our number 21 had been in perfect form thus far and was already on the verge of an eighth goal as the last ten minutes of this the first half rolled arond (20': 16-8). Saint-Raphaël took advantage of their numerical superiority to regain their strength and rack up a string of goals, but Paris kept a sizeable lead going into the break (26': 19-15). Thanks to first goals from Ferran, Kent and Luka in the final minutes, Raul Gonzalez's men stepped up a gear once again and went into the locker room with a healthy eight-goal lead (30': 23-15).

Right from the restart, the capital club's strength in depth was underlined by Gautier Loredon's first goal. In defence, Jannick Green continued his impressive display with a sixth save to help extend the lead even further (34': 25-16). Jacob Holm also shone with his versatility in the second half. Decisive in many ways, our left-back took his tally to three goals before mounting a superb defensive return to prevent the visitors from building (38': 28-20). Les Provençaux did not give up, however, and took advantage of some slackness in the Rouge et Bleu ranks to make up some of their deficit (41': 28-23). Raul Gonzalez reacted immediately by stopping play to mobilise his men. As is often the case, the Spanish coach's tactical adjustments quickly paid off: Andreas Palicka and Dani Baijens came on for the first time and stopped the bleeding (44': 29-24). However, Saint-Raphaël started to hit back at the end of the match and continued to prove their worth. However, the Parisians did not allow the visitors to catch up and maintained their lead thanks to powerful goals from Ferran and Kamil (49': 33-28).

Benjamin Braux called a final time-out just before the end of the second half in an attempt to raise the tempo and push Les Rouge et Bleu to the limit (51': 34-29). However, the capital club showed their determination and put an end to the suspense thanks to a fantastic double save by Jannick, who jus tabout raised the roof in an electric Coubertin (54': 36-31). After a match they controlled from start to finish, the capital club were back top winning ways, ending the year on a high note in front of their home crowd (41-34). Raul Gonzalez's men remain level on points with Nantes, who stay top at the break following their victory at Cesson-Rennes. The H will be the capital club's first opponents in 2025 when they meet in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France. A first clash not to be missed under any circumstances at Coubertin!

 

Check out what Raul Gonzalez, Luka Karabatic and Gautier Loredon had to say after Les Rouge et Bleus' victory:

 

(Credits: E. Renard/Team Pics)