The triumph of the Blues at the Euro did not go far.
In Bitola, North Macedonia, the three European champions of PSG were honored before kick-off by their opponents and a crowd who warmly applauded them.
Nikola and Luka Karabatic, as well as Elohim Prandi, all three received a small gift, a painting, from the Balkan club.
It was also against North Macedonia, in Düsseldorf and in front of 50,000 spectators, that the Blues' epic began last month.
60': It's over at Pelister!
Paris put in a very good performance and leaves North Macedonia with two more points in the EHF Champions League! #Handball #Paris #PSG #PSGHand #Sport #EHFCL #ChampionsLeague #Pelister #PELPSG pic.twitter.com/laA59Dv3GC
— PSG Handball (@psghand) February 14, 2024
The time for gifts ended there.
Sidelined since mid-December, the sticky ball Champions League has regained its rights.
And when it comes to gifts, PSG didn't give any to its one-night guests.
Serious, rigorous and diligent from start to finish, Paris copiously dominated the game by taking the reins from the start.
A serious and diligent PSG in the wake of its goalkeepers
Already eliminated with 10 defeats in as many matches since the start of the tournament, Eurofarm Pelister is, it is true, the weakest team in the group.
It never worried PSG, who were able to rotate the troops to keep things fresh.
The Parisians quickly took the evening in the right direction with a five-goal lead quite quickly (5-1, 10th), a lead that the Parisians kept throughout the game.
At the break, the case was already heard (15-9).
Also read “I am Elohim the European champion, plus Elohim the stabbed”: how Prandi changed his destiny
Everyone then did the job and participated in the party without any major air gaps, including the two goalkeepers, Jannick Green and Andreas Palicka, who, beyond a few decisive saves, each scored a goal.
Without trembling, without injuries, which will also be one of the challenges of the second part of the season, Paris won 25-31 away.
This is a good thing done, because PSG's business in this Champions League is not yet guaranteed.
Let's remember the rule: to avoid going through a playoff, in other words a tricky round of 16 at the end of March, you have to finish in the first two of the group.
Even if PSG is provisionally second pending the Thursday evening matches, Paris is not there yet.
Also read “We live the dream life in Paris”: Kaisa Alanko and David Balaguer, a happy but ambitious couple
There are three matches left to play and Raúl González Gutiérrez's men have an interest in winning these matches against Kielce, Zagreb and Szeged in order to secure a direct ticket to the quarter-finals.
The next game, in a week against Kielce, the Polish club vice-European champion, will be a nice test.