A few days after rounding off the Champions League group stage in style with a convincing victory over Aalborg (32-25) and pipping the Danes to top spot in the group, our Parisians returned to league action on Sunday for another crucial clash against Montpellier. Whilst Montpellier have had a mixed start to the season, heading into the match in fourth place and already knoecked out of the Champions League, there was no doubt they would give their all to get back on track before the international break. We could only hope for the same determination from Les Rouge et Bleu, who were looking to maintain their perfect league record for the season!
In a frenzied atmosphere, Paris took an early lead thanks to Yahia Omar and Kamil Syprzak (2': 2-0). Montpellier tried to respond, but were denied by Rodrigo Corrales, while Elohim Prandi enjoyed a perfect first quarter of an hour, quickly racking up five strikes (15': 10-8). Just as we saw on Wednesday against Aalborg, our Parisians demonstrated great control in all areas of the game, and Rodrigo Corrales even pulled off a breathtaking double save to help his side extend their lead (19': 12–9).
Added to this double save were two more from a seven-metre throw by Kylian Villeminot, followed by an attempt from former Parisian David Balaguer. That was all it took; the Coubertin crowd went wild and Paris pulled away (22': 14'10). The time-out called immediately afterwards by Erick Mathé did not alter the outcome of the first half. Dominant and ruthlessly effective, the capital club went into the break four goals ahead (30': 17-13).
As soon as play resumed, Stefan Madsen made his first substitutions, with Ferran Solé making a notable entrance. Within five minutes, Solé had distinguished himself with two successful penalties – the second of which saw him reach the historic milestone of 1,000 goals across all competitions with Les Rouge et Bleu (35': 20-15). Paris’s dominance quickly turned into a masterclass. This was largely down to Rodrigo Corrales, who was in his element, shutting Montpellier out completely for eight long minutes (45th minute: 25–16).
Everything was going well in defence, but also in attack. Always a key figure in big matches – and notably named in the Champions League Team of the Week – Elo’ put on a masterclass (nine goals), whilst Yahia Omar chipped in with five of his own, helping Paris build a ten-goal lead as the match entered its closing stages (48': 27-17). Right up until the final buzzer, Stefan Madsen’s men demonstrated their impeccable mentality and secured a resounding victory in front of their home crowd to consolidate their position at the top of the table (60': 33-23)!
Elohim Prandi: Nine goals, Yahia Omar: eight, Ferran Solé: four, Luc Steins: three, Wallem Peleka, Bjarki Elisson, Kamil Syprzak: two, Emil Mellegard, Noah Gaudin, Luka Karabatic: one. Rodrigo Corrales: 14 saves.
Ferran Solé’s sheer delight as he converted a second consecutive penalty, marking his 1,000th goal for Paris Saint-Germain Handball across all competitions! Our Spanish winger has become just the fourth player in the club’s history to reach this symbolic milestone, following in the footsteps of Mikkel Hansen, Kamil Syprzak and Elohim Prandi!
Elohim Prandi : 9 buts, Yahia Omar : 8, Ferran Solé : 4, Luc Steins : 3, Wallem Peleka, Bjarki Elisson, Kamil Syprzak : 2, Emil Mellegard, Noah Gaudin, Luka Karabatic : 1. Rodrigo Corrales : 14 arrêts.
Toute la joie de Ferran Solé au moment de convertir son deuxième jet de 7m consécutif, synonyme de 1000e but avec le Paris Saint-Germain Handball toutes compétitions confondues ! Notre ailier espagnol devient le quatrième joueur de l'histoire du club à franchir ce seuil symbolique après Mikkel Hansen, Kamil Syprzak et Elohim Prandi !
