Raul Gonzalez: 'Our defence was the key'

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On Saturday evening, Paris Saint-Germain Handball started 2021 on a victorious note, beating Szeged 32-29 in their rescheduled EHF Champions League Matchday 1 clash away to the Hungarian giants. Raul Gonzalez, Luc Steins and Dylan Nahi gave us their thoughts on the stylish win.

Raul Gonzalez (Paris Saint-Germain Handball coach):
"It wasn't plain sailing, because Szeged are a very good team. We had problems against their 5-1 defence in the first 15 minutes. But we were able to raise our level of play. We were missing some important players, but we have a lot of good lads, so the team was still able to perform well. Our defence was the key to the game. When we changed our system, we were better. We stopped them from playing with their pivots and we were able to score on quick movements. The week will be less busy than expected, given the postponement of the match against Vardar Skopje. This rest will be good for the lads who were at the World Championship."

Luc Steins (Paris Saint-Germain Handball centre-half):
"We had a few players who had played a lot lately. So we didn't have a lot of time to prepare for this match. But from the beginning, we were able to bring a good intensity, especially playing out of defence. We were concentrated during the whole match and we got stronger. We were able to take the lead and keep it until the end. It's good to start the year with a victory like this one, with some key absences. We only have one match to play next week, against Créteil, so everyone will be able to recuperate."

Dylan Nahi (Paris Saint-Germain Handball left-winger):
"We knew it would be complicated here, especially since it has been a while since we've all played together. It's a good win, because it was difficult, as they always are in the Champions League. We were able to react well after being down by four goals. We were good defensively as well as offensively. We increased in intensity as the game went on and we went ahead when we had to. That's good, but it's only the beginning! The postponement against Vardar is a good thing for the internationals, who will be able to rest and be ready for Créteil next Saturday."

(Credits: J.Azouze/PSG)