The Parisians needed to bounce back from their European disappointment against Veszprém in the EHF Champions League Play-offs (24-32 / 35-35), and they did just that this weekend, at the expense of a solid Saint-Raphaël side who fought hard at Coubertin (36-34). Regardless of how the result came about, the most important thing was that the capital club secured another league success, their eighth in a row.
The win was also the first step what promises to be a breathless final sprint, with Nantes still breathing down Les rouge et Bleus' necks. The H also had a lively game on Matchday 23, and also won - caliming two points in Toulouse (25-30) to keep the pressure on the leaders. Stefan Madsen's men still have two trophies in their sights, with a Coupe de France semi-final against Montpellier looming on Wednesday.
Witht he Parisians facing one of the Liqui Moly StarLigue's leakiest defences, it was always going to be a high-scoring match in the capital. Les Rouge et Bleu made their mark in the opening minutes, taking advantage of their opponents' lax defending (10': 9-3). But by half-time, thanks to a gradual comeback and buoyed by playmaker Drevy Paschal (seven goals in all), the visitors had closed the gap (30': 16-16).
Suddenly under pressure, the Parisians nonetheless reacted swiftly after the break, taking hte lead once more and never giving it up. Stefan Madsen was able to see for himself the mental strength in his squad, not to mention its strength in depth as everyone pitched in to help overcome the stubborn visitors. Noah Gaudin, who excelled against Istres a week ago, was on razor-sharp once again, bagging seven goals, while Elohim Prandi once again spearheaded the attack with nine strikes.
Kamil Syprzak had less influence on the scoreboard than usual, having been rested by his coach after his ten goals in the Champions League. However, the Pole scored with all three of his shots, and more importantly reached an impressive milestone in a Rouge et Bleu shirt, scoring his 1,700th goal in all competitions since joining the club in 2019. Our pivot is in top form ahead of the end of the season, and that's excellent news.
After three consecutive matches at Coubertin, Paris Saint-Germain now have to win some decisive clashes away from home, starting with a mouth-watering Coupe de France semi-final at Montpellier on Wednesday 15 April (20:00). On Saturday, the capital's players face another tough test when they take on ambitious fourth-placed Limoges, who are looking to put the league leaders to the sword.
Les Rouge et Bleu would be well-advised to get off to a perfect start ahead of one of the highlights of their season - their clash with nearest rivals Nantes at the AccorArena on 27 May in what could be a title decider. Supporters, get ready!
