"There is still a return match, but tonight (Wednesday evening, ed.) it was difficult. The performance was not how we would like to present ourselves. Against a team like Veszprem, we have to raise our game. It's everyone's job. But that's the risk when you play here, we hope for a different result in Coubertin (PSG's home ground, ed.) next week", Stefan Madsen told the club's website after the match.
Year after year, the goal remains the same for Paris Saint-Germain Handball: to win the Champions League one day. But as time goes on, that dream seems more and more out of reach. Once again this season, the French champions had to go through the play-offs, where a tough challenge awaited them against Veszprém, a regular performer on the European stage. The first task was to hold their own in this first leg in Hungary.
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The match started slowly, especially for the Parisians, who took four minutes to score their first goal. Meanwhile, Hugo Descat had already set the tone for the Hungarian side, scoring three of his team’s first four goals. The French contingent at Veszprém dominated the early stages, with Yanis Lenne and Nedim Remili also making their mark.
Paris misses the mark
After 15 minutes, PSG had managed just three meager goals. Stefan Madsen then made a few changes to try to spark his team, with the introduction of Noah Gaudin. But it wasn’t enough to kickstart the French outfit, and after a brief respite, Veszprém picked up where they left off, taking a commanding lead at halftime (15-9), with nine goals coming from the French contingency.
Despite coming out with the right intentions after the break, PSG could only impose themselves at one end of the court. The Hungarians kept up their attacking rhythm, and Paris missed several chances to really close the gap, especially from the 7-meter line, with Mikael Appelgren saving two Parisian attempts. And as Veszprém kept pushing, with 15 minutes left, there was no miracle in sight (24-16).
At that point, the goal was to limit the damage ahead of the return leg. Cutting the deficit to five seemed like a decent result, and the Parisians pushed hard, led by the ever-battling Kamil Syprzak.
But the final word belonged to Hugo Descat: The French international delighted the Hungarian crowd with a perfect 10/10 shooting performance, sealing the outcome. The 32-24 defeat was no surprise given how the match unfolded: PSG Handball will have to raise its game and show more consistency if it wants to turn things around next week at home.
