It missed.
PSG lost in Zagreb, their first setback in all competitions since November 30.
After a series of 12 consecutive victories, the first defeat of the French champions in 2024 has a direct and immediate consequence.
Paris can no longer finish among the top two in Group A, two places now reserved for the Germans from Kiel and the Danes from Aalborg.
This means that PSG can no longer qualify directly for the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Paris will have to go through a playoff.
This is the official name but it consists more simply of a round of 16 which will take place at the end of March and the beginning of April in a two-way match.
The return will normally take place at the Pierre-de-Coubertin stadium.
Normally, because Paris still needs to secure its current third place.
There is still one day to go and to achieve this, Luka Karabatic's partners will have to win in a week against the Hungarians from Szeged at home.
If so, they will play against the sixth in the group which, at the moment, is the Polish club Plock.
It's not that serious: on paper, Paris must pass this obstacle without worry, even if it fell at this stage in 2019. Only, this immediately adds two matches to the Parisians' overloaded schedule .
Really bad news.
60': Faced with a very good Zagreb team, the 🔴🔵 lost... Well done to them!
#ZAGPSG pic.twitter.com/nIdSrY5Z1m
— PSG Handball (@psghand) February 29, 2024
To still hope to play these round of 16, Zagreb had to win without its boiling venue this Thursday evening.
Mission accomplished for the Croatians who, at the start of the match, took advantage of Parisian heavy legs.
The French champions struggled to get into the game to the point of provoking a rare reaction: an anger from their coach Raul Gonzalez, usually placid, during a timeout.
After this little bloodshed, PSG reacted but the evening was never easy.
The two teams remained neck and neck for an hour (11-13 at the break).
Paris has never taken more than one goal in advance.
PSG never took shelter and Zagreb remained a permanent threat.
Pushed by a fiery public, the Croats especially made a hole in the money-time to win 28-26.
After the final whistle, this same audience paid tribute to an opponent: Nikola Karabatic who was born in Serbia but whose father was Croatian.
It is in this language that the new Olympic champion said thank you.