Coubertin was decked out in European colours tonight for the first time since 27 November 2025. After a commanding victory over Zagreb a week ago (24-35) and remaining undefeated since their return to action in 2026, the Parisians were feeling confident as they played host to Szeged, who were two points ahead of them in fourth place in Group B. Stefan Madsen's men had two objectives: to try to catch up with the Hungarians and to overtake GOG, who had temporarily taken fifth place after their draw against Pelister. It promised to be a great game in the capital!
As is customary in the Champions League, the intensity in the opening minutes was very high, helped by a frenzied crowd. Les Rouge et Bleu got off to a flying start and quickly built up a lead (6': 5-1). Michael Apelgren's men, surprised by the aggressiveness of the Parisian defence, struggled to find solutions in the early stages (13': 9-4). Combining perfectly, the capital's attackers stifled Szeged.
However, the Hungarians had the weapons to make Les Rouge et Bleu doubt themselves, and after a crazy first quarter of an hour, they saw their opponents gradually come back into the match. Showing superior cutting edge, the Szeged players managed, against all odds, to equalise and even take the lead (23': 12-13). At the end of a first half that saw the capital club blow hot and cold, they were trailing, but everything was still up for grabs in the second half (30': 14-15).
The second half began at the same fast pace as the first, with Les Rouge et Bleu now hot on the heels of the visitors. An intense back-and-forth ensued, with both teams trading blows (41': 19-19). With his seventh goal of the game, Elohim Prandi managed to put his team back in the lead for the first time in a long while.
The Parisians had regained their composure, but the battle continued in what had become a veritable gladiatorial arena. Jannick Green made a series of saves, and Luc Steins took advantage of this strong spell to slip through the Hungarian defence and give Paris a three-goal lead (49': 24-21). The last ten minutes promised to be breathless, with our Rouge et Bleu fighting hard to secure the two points.
From the penalty line, Kamil Syprzak scored his seventh of the game, the goal making the Hungarian club the team he has scored against most often in the Champions League (53': 26-24). The end of the match was fast approaching, and our warriors threw their last reserves of energy into the battle. With 20 seconds left on the clock and Paris leading by just one goal, Jannick made his 11th decisive save. The capital club could not be caught and cruised to victory (60': 29-28).
It was a narrow victory that Stefan Madsen's men fought hard to secure, allowing them to regain fifth place in the group, just behind their opponents on the night but with the same number of points. The capital club is officially qualified for the play-offs and still has two matches, against Pelister and Magdeburg, to try to secure the best possible position.
Before that, Les Rouge et Bleu have a fixture away to Dijon on Sunday 1 March (15:00) as they continue their quest for the Liqui Moly StarLigue title. The Champions League returns three days later with another trip, to Pelister.
