The triple!

News

The context:

A week after their last clash, a Coupe de France quarter-final won by the MHB (32-31), Paris Saint-Germain Handball and Montpellier met once again in the Coupe de la Ligue,, at the Antarès in Le Mans on Sunday afternoon. Twenty-four hours earlier, Montpellier and Paris had won past Saint-Raphaël (25-23) and Ivry (22-27) respectively, setting up a familiar final fixture. It was the fourth time in the history of the competition that the two sides met at the final hurdle, with the capital club coming off second-best every time...

The match:

In this clash between sides who know each other extremely well, there was no feeling-out period as the match began. Each side exploited the other's weaknesses and neither one could break free (9’: 5-5). This blow-for-blow approach lasted for several long minutes (17’: 10-10). Just before the break - and after having fallen behind by two points at one stage (20’: 11-13) - Paris began to shut down the Montpellier attack while also finding solutions up front. This state of play led to Paris' scoring five unanswered goals, Thierry Omeyer also playing his part with a number of crucial saves (27’: 16-13) and Les Rouge et Bleu headed in at half0time with a three-point lead (30’: 17-14).

As play resumed, Raul Gonzalez's men maintained their defensive rigour and made sure to convert every counter-attack that presented itself, with Uwe Gensheimer using the route to hit a quick-fire double (34’: 19-14). The MHB were really struggling to score, even from the penalty spot as Melvyn Richardson saw his effort blocked by Rodrigo Corrales (37’: 20-15). Although our side lost some of their cutting edge in the minutes that followed, our Spanish 'keeper pulled off some spectacular saves to keep his side comfortably ahead (45’: 23-20). Even when Montpellier looked all set to level matters (49’: 24-23), Rodrigo stymied their efforts and paved the way for Paris to break clear once again (54’: 29-23). Paris Saint-Germain Handball controlled the final stages of the match perfectly, running out winners of a third consecutive Coupe de la Ligue title (31-25).

The Parisian of the Match: Uwe Gensheimer

Practically nothing could stand in the way of Uwe Gensheimer. The German international was only denied twice from his 11 shots on goal. With nine goals, he ended the match as its top scorer, notably doing the damage early in the second half wither from the penalty line or on the counter. He was also named Man of the Match.

The word: Triple

Thanks to this excellent win, Paris Saint-Germain Handball once again lifted the Coupe de la Ligue. It's the third in the club's history - and its third in as many years! - and the first for Thierry Omeyer and his men this season.

Coming up:

After two weeks dedicated to cup action, Les Rouge et Bleu return to Lidl Starligue duties in their Round 18 trip to Chambéry on Thursday, looking to tighten their grip on top spot ahead of nearest rivals... Montpellier.

(Credits: TeamPics/PSG)