Les Rouge et Bleu fall in Szeged thriller
Handball•
On Thursday, Paris Saint-Germain Handball lost to Szeged in Hungary after a hard-fought battle (31-29). Here's a look back at this EHF Champions League Matchday 3 clash.
A week after securing their first European victory of the season, at home to Pelister (33-27), Les Rouge et Bleu were looking to build on that success in Hungary. Group B looks particularly wide open, and even the slightest setback could prove decisive in the race for direct qualification for the quarter-finals. There is no doubt that the capital club is ready to do whatever it takes to avoid having to go through the play-offs, where they fell to their opponents on the night last season. Paris therefore had two objectives: to get a good result against a direct rival away from home and to erase the memories of the disappointment suffered a few months ago.
To do so, Paris had to be clinical, as Szeged are a club that consistently rises to the occasion in big games. Spurred on by their home crowd, the Hungarian side had no intention of letting Les Rouge et Bleu take control of the game. From the opening minutes, Roland Mikler made his presence felt with three splendid saves. The capital club nevertheless managed to find the net from the wings, thanks to Wallem Peleka (two goals) and Sebastian Karlson, who had already scored three times to help get his team on the right track (7': 2-5).
In a lively first quarter of an hour, it was Wallem Peleka in particular who lit up the Pick Arena with his talent. With a flawless performance (3 from 3), the newly capped French international also proved adept at helping his teammates find the net (12': 5-9). However, Szeged - who had been struggling somewhat to find their feet - sarted to gain momentum as the minutes ticked by. In addition to Mikler's efficiency, with six saves early in the piece, the Hungarians' attack started to fire (19': 10-12).
Wallem continued his clinical form (5 form 5), but the Parisian defence struggled to withstand the Hungarian attacks, and Szeged were soon level (26': 15-15). Despite a superb save by Mikkel Lovkvist, the Hungarians were still level at the buzzer and the two teams went into the break with an exciting second half on the cards (30': 17-17).
After the wingers starred in the first half, the backline took centre stage when play resumed for the second term. Yahia Omar and Elohim Prandi took turns to beat Mikler, but the two teams were still neck and neck (35': 19-19). Shifting into top gear, Elo' showed his power as he scored twice to put Paris back in the lead as the final quarter of an hour approached (43': 23-24).
As was the case against Pelister and Nîmes last week, Les Rouge et Bleu had to fight hard for the result. Although they had been in fine form for several minutes, Stefan Madsen's men squandered a number of golden opportunities, notably two consecutive missed penalties. At the same time, the home side stepped up the pace and turned the game around before calling a time-out (49': 25-24). Chances were coming thick and fast at both ends, and Stefan Madsen decided to call his last time-out when the Hungarians took the lead (54': 27-26).
Although Paris managed to prevail in similar situations in their last two matches, unfortunately things did not go our Rouge et Bleus' way this time. A man down, Paris pushed forward but were stymied by Tobias Thulin, who made two saves in quick succession, including one form the penalty line. Lacking cutting edge, the capital club couldn't avoid defeat on Hungarian soil (60': 31-29).
After this particularly gruelling encounter, Stefan Madsen and his men are preparing to hit the road again in the coming days. This time, it's time for their Liqui Moly StarLigue Matchday 4 fixture in Aix. Throw-off for Sunday's clash with the Provençaux will be at 17:00.