Just two days after their victory against Rhein-Neckar Löwen (28-26) in an accomplished first friendly match of the summer, Les Rouge et Bleu were back on the court on Tuesday. To conclude their training camp in Germany, the capital club took on Frisch Auf! Göppingen in Ulm. It was an opportunity for Stefan Madsen to test new tactics and game plans as the start of the new season fast approaches.
Once again, Paris Saint-Germain drew crowds during their training camp on tghe other side of the Rhine. After the SNP Dome in Heidelberg, it was the turn of the 5,500-capacity Ratiopharm Arena in Ulm to fill up for this latest friendly match, the first-ever meeting between the two teams. On the court, our Parisians were up against a well-oiled team that were several weeks into their pre-season preparations. Everything was going well for the Germans, who won the S-Cup, a friendly tournament in which they notably eliminated their Bundesliga rivals HBW Balingen-Weilstetten and TVB Stuttgart in the final, last week.
Facing a team playing at full strength and viewing this match as a real test before the start of the season, Paris maintained a high tempo to keep the score level after a quarter of an hour (15': 8-8). However, Göppingen took advantage of a few offensive mistakes by a team still finding its feet to go into the break with a one-goal lead (30': 17-15).
Despite the fatigue of intense pre-season preparations and the match played on Sunday afternoon, Les Rouge et Bleu dug deep to turn the situation around as soon as they returned from the dressing room. Already impressive in defence in the first half, Emil Mellegard turned scorer, leaving the green and white rearguard helpless. With a quick-fire hat-trick, our new left winger put his team back in front (35': 18-19).
Spurred on by their home crowd, however, Göppingen had no intention of letting their lead slip. As the minutes ticked by, the Germans managed to find a way through despite Paris's compact defence. With everything to play for as the clock ticked down, Paris found themselves trailing by one point (46': 22-21). Although it was a friendly clash, both teams put on a great show for the spectators who had packed the stands of the Ratiopharm Arena.
Then it was Elohim Prandi's turn to light up the end of the match with his talent. In attack and defence, Paris gave it their all and managed to deny the home side a prestigious victory thanks to a last-gasp save by Jannick Green (60': 30-30). The match ended in a draw, perfectly reflecting the overall balance of the encounter.
The training camp in Germany has come to an end for Les Rouge et Bleu, who will return to Paris tomorrow to prepare for their next match. This will take place at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin on Friday, in a closed-door match against Dunkerque. It will be a first test against a familiar opponent before heading to Japan for the traditional summer tour.