A few days after a draamtic victory over Cesson-Rennes (30–24) – their first match of the season at Coubertin – our Rouge et Bleu were back in action at their home ground. On the menu: the Champions League, much to the delight of the supporters who turned out to cheer on the capital club.
Against Zagreb, Stefan Madsen and his men were looking to secure their first European win of the season against a Croatian side that sat top of the standings after beating Celje on Matchday 1. Victory was therefore crucial for Paris, who were counting on the support of their fans once again.
Right from the opening minutes, Zagreb gave it all they had at Coubertin. Whilst the Croatians sought to launch quick counter-attacks, our Rouge et Bleu kept things so tight at the back that the visitors were forced into set-piece attacks. This saw Paris to make the break after ten minutes of play (10': 6–3), but Zagreb are seasoned campaigners and responded quickly.
The record-holders for the most appearances in the competition (33 Champions League campaigns) seemed to regain their composure when Hrvoje Horvat decided to switch to a seven-man attack. From a five-goal deficit at the quarter-hour mark (15': 11–6), the gap was down to just one six minutes later (21': 14–13). Although the visitors had even taken the lead for a brief spell, it was ultimately Les Rouge et Bleu who went into the break in front thanks to a splendid moment of inspiration from Karl Konan, who scored from his own nine-metre line after spotting the Croatian goalkeeper out of position (30': 18–17).
As play resumed, the battle exploded at Coubertin! The two teams traded blows, but the Parisian substitutes managed to make the difference. In turn, Bjarki Elisson and Sebastian Karlsson scored their first goals of the evening to restore Paris’s two-goal lead (40': 21–19). If there’s one Parisian who whoed impeccable consistency in this match, it was Yahia Omar. As the final 15 minutes of the match began, our Egyptian international emulated Ferran Solé’s performance from last week and took his tally to nine goals (46': 26–25).
However, the attacking exploits of Yahia and Elohim (six goals) were not enough for the Parisians to pull away, as Zagreb had also managed to hone their cutting edge. The visitors even regained the lead, but not for long (53': 27–28) - the Parisians' formidable team spirit once again came to the fore. Driven by an electric crowd, Stefan Madsen’s men completely turned the match around in the closing stages and secured their first Champions League victory of the season (60': 34–30).
Yahia Omar: ten goals, Elohim Prandi: eight, Ferran Solé: four, Mateo Maras: three, Luc Steins and Wallem Peleka: two each, Bjarki Elisson, Emil Mellegard, Sebastian Karlsson, Luka Karabatic and Frederik Ladefoged: one each.
A packed stand cheering on our Parisians from the first to the last minute against a feisty Croatian side!
Good things come in threes! Following matches against Cesson-Rennes and Zagreb, Paris are set to play their third consecutive match at Coubertin. On Sunday, the Parisians will play host to Chartres in their Daikin Starligue Matchday 3 fixture. Another unmissable fixture in the Parisian arena!
