Paris lost the first leg of this EHF Champions League Play-offs tie at Veszprém (24-32), but they were still in with a chance of extending their European adventure. With the Stade Pierre de Coubertin set to erupt, Les Rouge et Bleu had their hearts set on toppling their Hungarian opponents to reach the quarter-finals. They would have to show unfailing determination, but in front of their home crowd, the capital club believed in their chances. An intense battle awaited.
Up against a perfectly organised defence, the Parisians did not get off to the expected start, and the Hungarians' formidable attack took advantage (10': 4-7). The battle was fierce and the duels bitter, but Les Rouge et Bleu got back into the game in the middle of the first half, drawing level in this particularly intense match (22': 12-12).
The capital club managed to take the lead for the first time as half-time approached, and a back-and-forth battle ensued (25': 17-15). After a gruelling tussle, it was Paris who were in the lead going into the break, but still with a six-goal first-leg deficit to claw back (30': 20-18). Anything was still possible in what promises to be a heated second half.
The second half resumed at the same brisk pace as the first, and Paris continued to push forward (33': 22-18). Unfortunately, Veszprém reacted sharply to pull level (40': 24-24), despite seven goals from Yahia Omar, who was leading the capital club's attack. The Egyptian once again found the net to give his side a one-goal lead with 15 minutes remaining.
As the minutes ticked by, the experienced Hungarians maintained their aggregate lead, even though Stefan Madsen's men continued to give it their all (54': 32-31). Nevertheless, the deficit was too big to overcome at this late stage. Despite an incredible Coubertin crowd and a fine performance, the capital club were eliminated in the last 16 of the Champions League (60': 35-35).
Kamil Syprzak: ten goals, Yahia Omar: nine, Elohim Prandi: five, Ferrán Solé: four, Wallem Peleka: three, Luc Steins, Karl Konan, Sebastian Karlsson, Gautier Loredon: one, Mikkel Lovkvist, Jannick Green: five saves.
The season is of course not over, and Paris must now concentrate on its two domestic competitions, with the league title and the Coupe de France as their objectives. In the Liqui Moly StarLigue, the capital club will play host to Saint-Raphaël this weekend at 17:00 on Sunday 12 April. After that comes the clash with Montpellier in the Cup semi-finals at 20:00 on 15 April - a decisive encounter for the rest of the season.
