In the array of matches that make up a handball season, some remain etched in the memory for a variety of reasons. An outstanding performance by a player, a special atmosphere, a crucial victory or simply a clash of rare intensity between two ambitious teams. The duel between our Rouge et Bleus and Nantes on 8 February 2025 falls into all these categories.
Two months after seeing The H secure a fourth consecutive victory over the capital club on Matchday 15 of the Liqui Moly StarLigue, Paris and Nantes met again at Coubertin for an unmissable encounter. Defeat would be even more costly than usual, as it meant elimination from the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France. You have to go back to 2019 to see either team fail to reach the last four of the competition. That's how important this match, played in an electric Stade Pierre de Coubertin, was.
A spectacular encounter was clearly on the cards, and this first match of 2025 did not disappoint. Just a few days after the end of the 2025 World Cup, Les Rouge et Bleus' internationals were there, as were those from The H. At half-time, the two teams were all square (30': 16-16). Elohim Prandi and Aymeric Minne, who scored ten goals each, were going blow for blow after winning bronze together at the World Cup.
But it wasn't just the attackers who provided the spectacle. In goal, Paris could count on the immense Andreas Palicka, who saved his team at the buzzer when Nantes had the chance to take the lead in the final seconds (60': 35-35). So how would the two best teams in France be separated? A penalty shootout!
Spurred on by a crowd that never gave up on their team, Kamil Syprzak, Ferran Solé, David Balaguer, Elohim Prandi and Yahia Omar all converted their attempts, while Jannick Green managed to win his duel against Théo Avelange-Demouge. Coubertin erupted in celebration, as did Raul Gonzalez's men, who could not have dreamed of a better return to competitive action.