Aalborg’s men’s handball team came within a whisker of taking down Paris Saint-Germain in their first Champions League match of the season, but the win slipped away.
The French side equalized at 33–33 on a penalty in the final second, resulting in a draw for the two teams in Wednesday evening's opening group match.
Aalborg had actually led by two and even three goals in the closing stages. However, after a dramatic finish, PSG—coached by Danes Stefan Madsen and Henrik Mollgaard—fought back to secure a single point.
Gigantium in Aalborg was packed to capacity, and the North Jutland hosts were spurred on by the crowd in a fantastic atmosphere. Aalborg began the match at a furious pace with an aggressive defense, but PSG’s stars matched the level, keeping the teams neck and neck.
Niklas Landin failed to make a single save in the first half, a factor that allowed the French visitors to pull slightly ahead. Aalborg responded by briefly bringing Fabian Norsten into goal.
A thunderbolt from Thomas Arnoldsen just seconds before the break resulted in a narrow 18–16 lead for the French side. Niklas Landin made his first save shortly after the break, giving Aalborg a significant boost. Combined with a sharp counter-attacking game, the home side fought back and following a save, Mads Hoxer put the hosts ahead 22–21.
However, things fell apart for Aalborg, and PSG staged a comeback. The French side secured the equalizer with a penalty throw in the final second. In addition to Paris Saint-Germain, Aalborg Håndbold shares a group with Celje and RK Zagreb in the Champions League's preliminary group stage.
The Champions League has expanded from 16 to 24 teams, and the preliminary group stage has been restructured from two groups of eight teams to six groups of four teams.
Under the new format, there is a risk of elimination after just six group matches. Only the top two teams from each group advance to the main round, where a new group stage consisting of two groups begins.
