With the first third of the Liqui Moly StarLigue season now behind us, the title race looked set for its first turning point at Coubertin. On the one hand, because Paris-Montpellier is a French league classic, and on the other, because our visitors had already lost some ground in the recent derby defeat to Nîmes (30-29).
This match was therefore crucial for Erick Mathé's men, who were keen to get back on track and avoid falling five points shy of the Parisians in the race for the title. Our Rouge et Bleus were all smiles leading up to the match and there was a warm atmosphere as Léo Plantin and David Balaguer, who left the capital club in the summer, exchanged a few words with their former teammates. The same went for Sebastian Karlsson, Karl Konan and even Mathieu Grébille with Montpellier.
The party promised to be a good one this afternoon, but both teams were there for one reason only: victory. So the smiles quickly gave way to concentrated faces on both sides as they finished their preparations, cheered on by the ultras who had turned out in force long before throw-off. The tone had been set: let the game begin!
To overcome this Montpellier team, several ingredients were needed. One of them was an impeccable mindset, and Stefan Madsen's men were exemplary in this domain in the opening minutes. Proactive in attack and solid in defence, Les Rouge et Bleu gave Montpellier's lax back line plenty of headaches (8': 5-2).
Mikkel Lovkvist, on the other hand, continued his impressive vein of defensive form. With Coubertin's cheers growing louder, Paris proved unyielding. Elohim made a series of interceptions and spearheaded counter-attacks for Ferran Solé, while Karl Konan and Luka Karabatic forced the visitors to slow down their game. This required extra commitment, which earned our captain the first warning of the match.
This did little to dampen Paris's enthusiasm, particularly that of Ferran, who shone on the right wing, scoring his third goal of the day and his 500th in the league with Paris. Trailing by four goals, Montpellier had their backs against the wall and Erick Mathé decided to call a first time-out (16': 9-5). Although the visitors enjoyed a brief resurgence, closing the gap to one goal, the capital club resumed its march forward. Still as fragile as ever in defence, MHB saw Rouge et Bleu waves crash down on them and found themselves trailing by five goals at the break (30': 19-14).
In the first half, Stefan Madsen's men did the necessary ingredients to stop the Montpellier machine in its tracks, but they had tp keep it up to ensure victory and great celebrations at Coubertin. Our Rouge et Bleu understood the assignment and played accordingly in the opening minutes of the second term, thanks in particular to a hat-trick from Mathieu Grébille, who showed no mercy against his former teammates (37': 23-27).
In an equally intense second half, the minutes ticked by with little change for either side. After taking their last time-out before the final quarter of the match, MHB couldn't find a way to break down our Rouge et Bleus' perfect performance. Stefan Madsen took advantage of this to hand the game time around, and rightly so! Gautier Loredon made a remarkable entry into play, finding the back of the net four times in seven minutes. The party was in full swing at Coubertin, both on the court and in the stands (51': 32-25).
However, the impressive attacking display from our Parisians should not overshadow another outstanding performance by Mikkel Lovkvist, who was once again imperious in the second half. Despite there being little at stake in the final ten minutes, our young Dane made his twelfth and final save, ensuring that our Rouge et Bleu were not troubled. Although Montpellier reduced the deficit, our Parisians maintained their lead and continued their flawless run in the league, moving five points clear of MHB (60': 34-31).
Now it's time for another crucial match for Stefan Madsen's men. On Thursday, the capital club will take on Plock in their ninth EHF Champions League match of the campaign. Defeated by Barcelona at the half-way point of the group stage (27-30), Paris must get back to winning ways against the Polish side to stay on track for their objectives. Once again, the Parisians will need your support for this final European home game of the year!
🗣️Les réactions de Stefan Madsen et Ferran Solé après cette victoire face à Montpellier ! pic.twitter.com/D8LbOWdeAk
— PSG Handball (@psghand) November 22, 2025
(Credits: E. Renard/Team Pics/PSG)
