Champions League: PSG again dolphin, Montpellier is no longer

The handballers of Montpellier lost on the field of the Hungarians of Veszprem, vice-champions of Europe last year, and winners Sunday (24-23) during the penultimate day of the group stage of the League champions. With this defeat, the players of Patrice Canayer give up all hope of finishing in second place in their group, ensured at Veszprem, and which allows to receive the return match of the eighth and the return match of the possible quarter-final. Already qualified for the 8th, they retreat to 4th place before facing next week the Vardar Skopje (Saturday, 5.30pm), in an attempt to seek 3rd place in the group.

Sterbik, the savior of Veszprem

On a negative dynamic in the French championship with four consecutive defeats (one in December and three in February after the international break), the Héraultais once again showed a different face in the Champions League. Even when Veszprem, stronghold of European men's handball, escaped the score (8-5 in the 11th minute, 15-12 in the 24th, 23-20 in the 53rd), Valentin Porte's teammates have always found the resources not to let the Hungarians escape the score. In the last 20 minutes, when they had several balls to stick up, the Héraultais stumbled on the Spanish doorman Arpad Sterbik, one of the very best in the world at his post, and logically elected player of the meeting (14 stops on 27 shots).

MHB Croatian goalkeeper Marin Sego also kept his team in the game thanks to another good performance (14 saves), however insufficient. The rapid bullets were badly negotiated in the middle of the second period and in attack, the Montpellier lacked solutions to shake the red Hungarian wall in front of them. The ten minutes without scoring a goal in the middle of the second period were fatal. Nice operation, however, from the Paris SG. The Parisians recovered second place in their group thanks to their victory (31-25) Saturday against the Norwegians of Elverum. Even if the Hungarians of Szeged had made their task easier by going to lose Wednesday in Flensburg (34-26), the Parisians were serious to beat the modest Norwegians, in their sold-out Coubertin room and animated by its noisy ultras.

"We have to keep going up the pace, always have control over our matches and arrive at the more difficult matches while remaining calm, lucid and above all masters of our game."

Confident after their victory in the derby against Créteil this week (39-26) in the league, Luc Abalo's teammates have generally mastered the debates even if they were almost frightened by letting Elverum return to three lengths ten minutes from the end (27-24). If captain Luka Karabatic took advantage of this tenth European success of the Parisians' season to reach 200 goals in the Champions League with his five units of the day, it is mainly the Norwegian Sander Sagosen (8 goals) and the parades of goalkeeper Vincent Gérard who allowed the champions of France to manage their lead.

“On the one hand, we mastered the match, on the other hand, we had a short time, which happens to us fairly regularly in our matches and I think we could have managed better than that again, said the Parisian rear, Nedim Remili. We were able to stay focused and put on the gas after a timeout that did us good. We have to keep going up the pace, always have control over our matches and arrive at the more difficult matches while remaining calm, lucid and above all masters of our game. ” Paris will still have to win against Zagreb, last in the pool, next Sunday to secure second place, behind the unbeatable Barcelona. This would put them in a favorable position for the eighth and offer them the advantage of receiving during a possible quarterfinal return.

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