A mere 90 kilometres separate Paris from Chartres - a quick jaunt compared to the 1,500 kilometres travelled to Plock on Wednesday. However, this second trip in the space of a few days was bound to have an effect on Stefan Madsen's men, who gave their all this afternoon to extend their unbeaten run in the championship. In addition to the desire to win every match, the prospect of becoming the sole leader of the Liqui Moly StarLigue was an additional factor for the Parisians. After Saturday evening's draw between Montpellier and Nantes, there was a massive opportunity to be seized - but above all a trap to be avoided.
Because nothing is more dangerous than a wounded beast, and Chartres have really been suffering since the start of the season - and especially last week. Defeated at home to Dunkerqwue thanks to Steve-Marie Joseph's penalty throw on the buzzer, Chartres were approaching this clash with knives between their teeth. However, Paris don't boast the best defence in the league for nothing, and Jannick Green was quick to make his first save (5': 1-3).
Paris's objective at the start of the match was clear: to quickly create a gap and not allow the home side to implement their game. This was because Chartres' game plan was a mystery, the club having installed Arnaud Calbry as their new coach on Thursday. Although the former Belgium and Sarrebourg coach did not have much time at his disposal, he was clearly able to lay the foundations for a new system, and his players grew in strength as the minutes ticked by. They eventually closed the gap after a quarter of an hour (16': 7-7).
To buck this trend, Stefan Madsen opted to leave the goal empty during attacking phases in a bid to gain a numerical advantage. It was a bold choice that soon paid off, and Paris soon pulled away thanks to youth academy graduates Gautier Loredon and Wallem Peleka (25': 9-13). Seeing their team with their backs to the wall, the Coliseum raised the tone to spur their side on before the break.
However, it took more than that to unsettle Jannick Green. Already with eight saves on the night, the Danish international took the opportunity to pass the 600-save mark in the Liqui Moly StarLigue. With a rock-solid defence and an effective attack, Paris went into the dressing room five goals clear at the end of an entertaining first half (30': 10-15).
With a slew of matches coming up, Stefan Madsen had no hesitation in giving minutes to his entire squad. Subbed on at half-time, Sindre Heldal and Abdelrahman Abdou both found the back of the net, and the Egyptian even scored a hat-trick against the Euréliens, who were starting to struggle physically (34': 13-19). Paris were in celebrtory mood - despite Chartres 'keeper Milan Bomastar's outstanding performance, matching Jannick Green perfectly with 11 saves.
With a comfortable lead, Stefan Madsen rewarded the fine performances of his young players. After Wallem and Gautier in the first half, another Parisian young gun - Théo Ducap - found the net and joined the party (42': 18-24). Among the youngsters, Gautier stood out in particular, scoring his fifth goal, a new personal best for goals in a single league match with Paris (51': 22-29).
In the final minutes, it was Thomas Omeyer's turn to make his professional debut - just a few weeks after Théo Ducap had done the same. The young left-back, who has had a good start to the season with our Nationale 1 side (30 goals in five matches), thus became the 216th player in the club's history!
It was a successful evening for the Parisians, who won comfortably thanks to an excellent performance by Jannick Green, who ended up with a total of 16 saves (60': 26-34). The victory allowed Stefan Madsen's men to take advantage of Saturday's draw between Montpellier and Nantes and take sole control of the league.
After two consecutive away games, Paris will return to Coubertin next week. On Thursday evening at 20:45, Stefan Madsen's men will need your support when they host GOG in their EHF Champions League Matchday 6 clash. Following that, Paris will host Cesson-Rennes at 17:00 on Sunday in their final league fixture before the first international break of the season.