Thierry Omeyer: 'We didn't give an inch'
On Saturday evening, Paris Saint-Germain Handball lost away to Szeged (33-32) but this Velux EHF Champions League Round 9 defeat was not enough to wrest top spot in Group B away from Les Rouge et Bleu. Jesus Gonzalez, Thierry Omeyer and Robin Dourte gave its their thoughts on the match.
Jesus Gonzalez (Paris Saint-Germain Handball assistant coach):
"We were up against an excellent 'keeper. They also enjoyed a lot of good fortune from the penalty spot, and in the end it made an important difference. We need to do better, especially in defence. But I think that it came down to the quality of our shooting. We're still in top spot, but we missed a chance to widen the gap."
Thierry Omeyer (Paris Saint-Germain Handball 'keeper):
"We were expecting a tough match. We chased the score the whole time, but we didn't give an inch. We were penalised for our individual errors, especially in defence. In this arena, with the quality play that Szeged are capable of, we knew it would be tough. We'll learn our lessons... In handball, the 'keeper is a very important player and today we were up against a Mirko Alilovic in stunning form. We created plenty of chances, but our shooting wasn't good enough. We'll need to bounce back right away against Skjern and also in the league against Cesson-Rennes on Wednesday."
Robin Dourte (Paris Saint-Germain Handball pivot):
"It was a huge battle against a side looking to get us back after we beat them the last time we met. We had some troubles in defence while in attack, we found solutions when we were seven against six... We lost by just one goal and that's a shame, as we never stopped fighting. The atmosphere was very hostile and that made it hard to hear each other. We're still in top spot with a better goal difference than Szeged, so we should stay positive."
(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)