Paris had a good weekend, with a fine victory in the derby at Tremblay (31-38) and the return of injured stars Kamil Syprzak and Jannick Green. With the winter break fast approaching, Les Rouge et Bleu still had some important fixtures to contend with in 2025, starting with this clash against Cesson-Rennes. In their Coubertin stronghold, the Parisians were aiming to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France, with the stated goal of regaining the trophy next May at the Accor Arena.
The Brittany club were visiting the City of Light for the second time this season, after a Liqui Moly StarLigue match in which they were defeated 38-33. Since then, Sébastien Leriche's men have suffered four consecutive defeats and, seeking revenge, were determined to surprise the Parisians tonight. The visitors got off to a good start (11': 6-6), helped by their goalkeeper Jean-Emmanuel Kouassi, who turned in a strong performance.
Cesson even managed to take the lead, forcing Stefan Madsen to call a timeout. This decision completely revitalised his players, who got right back in front by scoring four goals in three minutes without conceding a single one (19': 11-10). After a shaky first half, the Parisians went into the break with a narrow lead (30': 18-17). However, they would need to do more to secure qualification and, above all, avoid a nail-biting finish in the last 30 minutes.
The capital club understood this well: they would have to fight hard to overcome these solid Bretons, whose goalkeeper continued to perform miracles. With his sixth goal of the match, Kamil Syprzak finally gave his team the break they needed after returning from the changing rooms (35': 20-18). The Parisians were sharper, and their offensive prowess was confirmed by Yahia Omar, who scored six goals, and Luc Steins, who was brilliant, as he often has been of late.
Stefan Madsen seemed to have found the right words to motivate his men at half-time, as they came out strong at the start of the second half (40': 24-20). The challenge in the coming minutes was to keep the pressure on the visitors, who had not yet had their final say. Stunned by les Rouge et Bleus' strong comeback, the Bretons slowly emerged from their torpor and forced Jannick Green to work hard to maintain the lead.
With a powerful shot, Noah Gaudin joined in the fun with his first goal, allowing his teammates to pull away in the final minutes (50': 28-24). In the moments that followed, the capital club's players continued to widen the gap, with a six-goal lead, and strove to dash their opponents' hopes. Cesson tried to catch up, but the Parisians remained focused to avoid a tense end to the match.
With his match-high eighth goal of the game, Kamil sealed the victory for his team (60': 34-28). Paris, who were timid in the first half, grew stronger as the minutes passed and were able to count on their attacking form, with Luc Steins once again omnipresent and named man of the match. The capital club secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France, which will take place in February 2026.
There are only two matches left before the end of 2025! The Parisians have two exciting clashes to look forward to, starting with their last match of the year at Coubertin, against Limoges on Sunday 14 December (15:30). They will finish with a high-stakes trip to Nantes to face their nearest Liqui Moly StarLigue chasers on 18 December at 20:30. It promises to be an exciting end to the year!
