Almost assured of maintaining, Ivry presented himself without complexes at Pierre-de-Coubertin, home of PSG handball this Sunday afternoon. And the Val-de-Marne club has long hindered the plans of the Parisians, who would undoubtedly have appreciated completing this victory earlier (36-31, final score). But PSG came through, remained undefeated after 22 days (21 wins, 1 draw) and regained a five-point lead at the top of the championship ahead of Nantes.
The club coached by Raul Gonzalez will thank its stars, like Elohim Prandi, who stayed on the bench for half an hour before making the difference after the break.
The first act was hard, very hard. And concluded with a goal in favor of Ivry (16-17), signed by its goalkeeper David Bernard at the buzzer. Faced with a permeable Parisian defense, his teammates found numerous solutions thanks to Aymeric Zaepfel (8 goals) or Antonin Mohamed, impeccable in the 7-meter throw (8 goals, only one failure). Fortunately for Paris, David Balaguer (7 goals) or Luc Steins kept the score close. But even taking the lead for the first time after 22 minutes, PSG failed to maintain it.
“We are in a good rhythm and why not go and get something,” Zaepfel even dared at the microphone of BeIN Sports before returning to the locker room. Three days after a very physically demanding match in Poland, in Plock in the Champions League, the Parisian stars were called to the rescue. Elohim Prandi (5 goals) or Kamil Syprzak (9 goals) finally helped the locals to widen a (slight) gap. We still had to wait until the 51st minute to see a three-goal lead in favor of PSG.
Final score: 36-31. A gap made possible by the multiple saves of Jannick Green (14 saves, 32%) in the last five minutes. “We played as best as we could,” smiles Antonin Mohamed, Ivry’s left winger, speaking to BeIN Sports. We put them in difficulty. They didn't expect that. I am happy. We didn't give up. Everyone brought what they could bring. Against Paris, it remains complicated. We did our best. We have to continue like this to maintain ourselves. »
Next meetings for PSG? A Champions League return play-off, Thursday April 4, against Plock at home then a trip to Nantes, April 7, to hope to seal the fate of the championship. “We have two intensive weeks coming up,” underlines Elohim Prandi, interviewed by BeIN Sports. We have the opportunity to take a big lead in Nantes. You have to stay serious. Today was complicated. We had to fight. We need to avoid this kind of scenario. The season still promises to be dense and harsh. Everyone must be mobilized. »