Tough night in Veszprém

Comptes-rendus

Paris Saint-Germain Handball travelled to Hungary for EHF Champions League Matchday 2, losing 41-28 to Veszprém on Thursday. Here's a look back at the match.

It was a high-octane clash that awaited our Parisians in Hungary. Facing Veszprém, who came from behind to beat Füchse Berlin 31-32 last week, Raul Gonzalez's men were looking to record a second success in this 2024-2025 edition of the competition, following their hard-fought 31-29 win over Pelister at Coubertin. To do so, Les Rouge et Bleu had to overcome a home crowd reputed to be one of the most fervent in Europe. Yahia Omar, who was making his return to the club he left in the summer after five seasons of loyal service, was no stranger to this venue.

The eagerly-awaited duel between Nedim Remili and Kamil Syprzak, both scorers of 11 goals on Matchday 1, lived up to its billing in the early stages. While the former Parisian quickly scored twice, Kamil took advantage of the Hungarian defence's lapses to convert three penalty throws (8': 4-4). Despite a solid start from Andreas Palicka, who made five saves, Les Rouge et Bleu lacked attacking flair and saw Veszprém take control of the match (13': 8-5).

Trailing on the scoreboard, Paris redoubled their efforts to close the gap, but came up against Rodrigo Corrales, who had no qualms about denying his former team-mates (19': 13-7). Well served by Elohim Prandi, Ferran Solé showed tremendous vision to score a fourth goal past his compatriot and keep his side in the game (24': 14-10). Raul Gonzalez's men grew in strength towards the end of the first period, and everything was still possible as they went into the break three points behind (30': 18-15).

After the restart, the Parisians continued at the same pace and pulled back to within a goal thanks to Yahia Omar's first strike against his former club (31': 18-16). However, Veszprém proved to be extremely effective, taking advantage of every time the capital club lost possession to extend their lead. After conceding three goals in quick succession, Raul Gonzalez called a time-out (38': 25-20). Spurred on by their fans and making the most of their counter-attacks, the Hungarians took a big lead in the final quarter (46': 34-23).

Despite their best efforts right up to the end, Paris lost in Hungary (41-28), conceding their first defeat of the season on the continental stage. Raul Gonzalez's men will be back at Coubertin on Sunday to take on Dunkerque in the league.

(Credits: L. Valroff/PSG)