Following an historic victory in the Champions League on Wednesday evening against Celje (46–35), Stefan Madsen’s men were back at Coubertin, playing host to Toulouse in the league. A real cracker of a match which, just a few weeks ago, hadn't looked like the tricky fixture it did today. After a nightmarish start to the season, marked by three defeats in as many matches, Fénix had managed to turn things round with three consecutive wins, notably beating Nantes at the H Arena on Matchday 4. A remarkable feat that not only kick-started their season but also allowed Paris to take sole control of the league standings!
Transformed since their victory over Nantes, the Fénix played to their full potential and got off to a flying start at Coubertin (6': 1-3). However, it took more than that to unsettle our Rouge et Bleus. Spurred on by a fine start from Yahia Omar, who scored three early goals, Paris quickly took the lead (11': 5-4). Just as it had against Celje in midweek, the gap began to widen after a quarter of an hour, notably thanks to a brace from Sebastian Karlsson, which saw him reach the 100-goal mark for Les Rouge et Bleu across all competitions (15': 9-5).
The time-out called by Danijel Andjelkovic made no difference; Paris were in control throughout the first half. Visibly frustrated, the south-westerners showed an excess of commitment that was penalised by the referees. Three two-minute suspensions allowed our Rouge et Bleu to extend their lead, and they went into the break six goals ahead (30': 16-10).
This comfortable half-time lead allowed Stefan Madsen to make several tactical changes and rotate his squad, doubtless with an eye on the Parisians' impending run of four consecutive away games before playing host to Aalborg on 28 October. Mateo Maras and Emil Mellegard seized the opportunity with both hands and proved decisive right from the start (38': 20-14).
It must be said that while Fénix struggled to close the gap, this was also down to a superb performance from Rodrigo Corrales in goal. His ninth save of the match, made as the final quarter of an hour began, was also our goalkeeper's record 600th save for Paris Saint-Germain Handball across all competitions for the capital club (46': 24-17). In control right until the end of the match, Paris treated their fans to a spectacular display, inlcuding a hat-trick from Kamil Syprzak, whilst Noah Gaudin also played his part, as Elohim Prandi so aptly pointed out mid-week (60': 30-23).
Yahia Omar: Seven goals; Elohim Prandi: five; Sebastian Karlsson and Kamil Syprzak: four; Luc Steins: three; Mateo Maras, Frederik Ladefoged, Wallem Peleka and Noah Gaudin: one each. Rodrigo Corrales: 11 saves.
Wearing a shirt paying tribute to the fight against breast cancer as part of Pink October, Sebastian Karlsson put in another impressive performance and, with a fine run down the right wing, scored his 100th goal in all competitions for Paris Saint-Germain!
After two consecutive matches at Coubertin, our Parisians are now set for a long spell on the road.
Stefan Madsen’s men are set to embark on a run of four consecutive away fixtures across France and Europe. It all kicks off on Wednesday with a trip to Slovenia to face RK Celje (18:45) as part of EHF Champions League Group Stage Matchday 4.
