No, the Starleague is not over yet. In 10 days it would be done and by then, we will know the name of the new French champion. Barring a cataclysm, it will be PSG but the Parisians will not be officially crowned this Sunday in the event of a victory against Saint-Raphaël (5 p.m., Coubertin stadium, Paris XVI). It could have been the case but the draw of the semi-finalists of the Champions League in Chambéry (32-32) in the middle of the week thwarted the plans. They should be sacred, provided they win both matches, tomorrow and Wednesday evening at Cesson-Rennes. A big week before challenging the Danes of Aalborg (June 12) in the semi-finals of the Champions League, it would be a good thing to do.
[@LidlStarligue - J28]
🔥 Montpellier wins against @pauchandball!
✅ 2nd place validated, it's qualification in the Champions League next year
🙏 Thanks to Melvyn #Richardson, Fredric #Pettersson and Jonas # Truchanovičius for their der 'in Bougnolhttps: //t.co/ak81NyQsdE
- Montpellier Handball (@mhbofficiel) May 29, 2021
In the meantime, the French championship has delivered a verdict: Montpellier has ensured at least its second place and therefore its place in the next Champions League that the European champion club in 2003 and 2018 did not play this season.
Nantes will have to win the Champions League to return
Montpellier secured this place after their narrow home victory against Aix 28-27 on Matchday 28. With 48 points, Patrice Canayer's MHB is one point behind the Parisian leader. With five points ahead of Nantes, Montpellier in particular can no longer be joined in second place. The "H", victorious at Créteil 36-23, completes the podium of this Starligue very strongly disturbed by the Covid. Hanging throughout the game by the Aixois, the Montpellier were able to rely on Kyllian Villeminot (7 goals) and Melvyn Richardson (6) to snatch the victory against the fifth Starligue.
For its last home game of the season and the last with Melvyn Richardson's club, MHB was able to count on some of its supporters, as in the derby against Nîmes last Saturday (29-29): “We are very happy this second place was the goal of the club, in addition to a room, certainly not full, but which pushed us to the end ”, welcomed Villeminot at the microphone of BeIN Sports while Richardson, approached in Barcelona for next season, thanked his "adopted family" in his farewell to supporters.
At the end of the afternoon, the people of Nantes had recovered in Créteil. A few days after their home defeat against Saint-Raphaël and less than fifteen days before their half against FC Barcelona (June 12), the Nantes team signed a large victory in the Paris region 36-23. If they want to play again in the Champions League next season, the Nantes know what they have to: win the Final Four in two weeks in Cologne and therefore get ahead of PSG.
In the middle of the table, Limoges (9th) and Dunkirk (10th) could not decide (25-25). In the fight for maintenance, Cesson-Rennes obtained a precious point (28-28) in Chambéry (7th) and goes back to 12th place. Ivry (15th), deprived of many executives, on the other hand logically lost 35-27 in Nîmes (4th) while Istres (14th) was heavily beaten at home by Toulouse (6th) 34-25. Remember also that we know a first relegated in ProLigue: Tremblay. Ivry will have to fight to save himself.