After four matchdays, it’s fair to say that our Parisians are performing well in this Champions League campaign. After drawing with Aalborg in their opening match (33-33), Les Rouge et Bleu went on to secure convincing victories against Zagreb (34-30) and then Celje (46-35 and 30-41).
This run of form saw them secure their place in the main round of this newly formatted Champions League last night. The final two matches will not, however, be without significance, as Stefan Madsen’s men will have to fight until the very last matchday to finish top of the group ahead of Aalborg - a position that would allow them to start the main round with two points.
Scoring five goals from as many attempts, Luka Karabatic was unstoppable against the Slovenians! It’s not often that our captain makes such a significant impact in attack. In fact, you have to go back to 24 March 2023 to see him find the net at least five times in a single match in a Rouge et Bleu jersey. That was in the league, during a resounding victory over Istres at Coubertin (42–30). On the continental stage, the last time Luka Karabatic was so decisive in a match was in September 2021, during a narrow defeat at Veszprém (34–31).
Although he is more accustomed to scoring than Luka, Kamil Syprzak was nonetheless in excellent form on Wednesday. With nine goals from as many attempts, the Polish international put in his best performance for Paris across all competitions since the draw against Veszprém in the return leg of the play-offs last April (35-35), a match in which he beat a certain Rodrigo Corrales ten times.
“I think we struggled at the start of the match; we didn’t find the right rhythm, particularly in defence. We were playing at a fast pace, as were Celje, but after about twelve minutes, we took control of the match. I’m very pleased with the result and the spirit shown, and with how we’re working. Lots of players gave their all tonight. It’s great to have secured qualification; it was very important for us, but it doesn’t change anything. We’re on a good run, and we can carry on like this. Now we need to find time to rest before we head to Caen on Saturday.”
While the final matches of Matchday 4 are due to take place this Thursday evening, it is already possible to draw some initial conclusions following Wednesday evening’s matches. In the other Group C fixture, Aalborg had a scare but ultimately managed to secure a narrow victory over Zagreb (34-33). This victory keeps the Scandinavians top of the table, level on points with Paris, and also secures their qualification.
Among the other matches of interest to Stefan Madsen’s side, Veszprém once again comfortably defeated Raul Gonzalez’s Partizan Belgrade (38–28). With a perfect record after four matchdays, the Hungarian side have also secured their place in the main round. Tonight, Les Rouge et Bleu will be keeping a close eye on the result of Berlin’s match against Porto, as well as the two Group B fixtures, whilst Melsungen, Plock and Nantes are all level on points after three matchdays.
