After bitter defeats in Plock (35-32) and at home to GOG before the break (34-36), Paris right the ship on their trip to Denmark! It was never going to be an easy task against an opponent that had proved formidable at Coubertin two weeks earlier. However, despite the continued absence of several key players, including Jannick Green and Kamil Syprzak, the capital club showed their mettle to get back into the continental winners' circle. The victory was crucial, as it allowed Stefan Madsen's men not only to overtake their opponents on the night thanks to a better goal difference (beaten by two goals at Coubertin, victorious by three in Denmark), but also to draw level with Szeged, who suffered a setback in Bitola against Pelister.
Paris therefore pulled off the coup of the week on the continental stage and were able to celebrate this sweet victory with a number of their fans who had made the trip to Gudme to cheer their heroes on. Their support undoubtedly made the difference in both the good times and the bad, their voices cutting through the raucous atmosphere created by the home fans.
Having already scored nine goals in the previous meeting between the two teams at Coubertin before the break, Elohim Prandi continued his excellent form against the Scandinavians. On Wednesday, our left-back converted all of his attempts, finding the back of the net eight times and delivering three assists. This total puts him provisionally in third place in the EHF Champions League scoring charts this season, with 55 goals, two behind his rival on the night, Frederik Bjerre, who leads ahead of Mathias Gidsel (56 goals).
Another in-form Parisian, Yahia Omar, also turned in a flawless performance on Wednesday evening, adding six goals to the capital club's tally. Les Rouge et Bleus' top scorer in the league, the Egyptian international is also sin scintillating form on the continental stage. Our right-back was particularly important in the dying moments, scoring Paris's last two goals to seal a well-deserved victory.
Mikkel Lovkvist continues to impress in his first Champions League campaign. Having already made several key saves in the league, notably against Toulouse last weekend (13 saves), the young Dane shone as he returned to his homeland on Wednesday. With fourteen saves against GOG, the capital club's summer signing set a new personal best in Europe this season. The Parisian goalkeeper played a major role in the victory in Gudme, notably stopping a penalty on the buzzer to allow his team to maintain a three-point lead and overtake their opponents in the standings.