Following victories in Chambéry (29-32), then against Cesson-Rennes (30-24) and Chartres (35-26) at Coubertin, our Parisian side hit the road again this Saturday morning. They headed to Limoges for a thrilling clash against Alberto Entrerrios’s increasingly ambitious side. With just a few days to go before the kick-off of their EHF European League campaign against the Portuguese side Marítimo, Limoges were keen to pull off a stunning result at Beaublanc, a week after unleashing a veritable storm on the Vikings in Caen (final score 23–38, with a 12-goal lead at half-time). For their part, our Rouge et Bleu were looking to continue their perfect run in the league to provisionally take top spot!
For the first time this season, our Rouge et Bleu were able to enjoy a full week to prepare ahead of this trip to Beaublanc, the Champions League being on a two-week hiatus. This period allowed Stefan Madsen and his men to combine rest with tactical adjustments. From the very first minutes, the Parisians showed composure in front of goal, notably with Elohim Prandi producing a splendid pass behind his back for Bjarki Elisson, who kept his cool against Valentin Kieffer (5': 2–4). The Icelander was one of the standout performers of the first half, with four goals by the end of the first quarter of an hour (15': 8–10).
Also decisive on four occasions in the first half, Yahia Omar etched his name a little further into the capital club’s history books by passing the 300-goal mark in the Starligue – all in just 62 top-flight matches! Having led from throw-off without ever really pulling away, Paris came under pressure towards the end of the first half (26': 14–14) . This was largely down to a fine performance by our former Titi, Gauthier Ivah, in the Limoges goal (four saves). Having been behind for a while, Les Rouge et Bleu finally managed to equalise at the buzzer thanks to Ferran Solé’s third goal; he was unstoppable from the seven-metre line (30': 17–17).
This second half got off to a flying start, both sides fully intent on taking both points on offer. While Bjarki Elisson continued his perfect form (6 from 6), Luka Karabatic also found the net and reached a milestone of his own: his 500th top-flight goal for Les Rouge et Bleu (37': 20–22). The atmosphere was just as electric in the stands as it was on the court, but the Parisians showed great discipline in focusing on their game (41': 21–25) .
It realy was an evening of milestones, as Luc Steins’ third goal took his Parisian goal tally to 900 goals in all competitions (49': 25–28). Proving decisive on 17 occasions this evening (six goals, 11 assists), our Dutch international once again showed why he is an indispensable part of the squad (55': 27–31). After a dramatic closing period in which both teams at times found themselves down to ten men, Stefan Madsen’s men dug deep to snatch a precious victory and take provisional top spot in the standings (60': 33–35).
Yahia Omar: Eight goals; Bjarki Elisson and Luc Steins: six; Elohim Prandi: five; Kamil Syprzak: four; Ferran Solé: three; Luka Karabatic: two; Frederik Ladefoged: one. Mikkel Lovkvist: six saves; Rodrigo Corrales: four.
Luka Karabatic soars through the air at Beaublanc to beat former team-mate Gauthier Ivah, who played for Paris between 2018 and 2020. An historic goal that took his tally to 500 league goals for the capital club.
Stefan Madsen’s side will be back on the road as early as Thursday, not for a Champions League match, but for another Starligue fixture. The capital club take on promoted Saran, who have impressed with three wins from their first four matches. The clash takes place at the Arena CO’Met in Orléans, with throw-off scheduled for 20:00 on Thursday 1 October.
