Nantes triumphed 37-33 over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions Trophy on Saturday at the Arena Futuroscope in Poitiers, setting the tone for a season that could see the end of the Parisians’ monopoly on the national stage.
With a neglected squad of three major players who left in the offseason, Mikkel Hansen, Nedim Remili and Benoît Kounkoud, but also their duo of goalkeepers Yann Genty and Vincent Gérard, PSG gave in to the intensity put on in the second half. by Nantes, their main rivals in recent years, a week before the opening of the French championship.
From the outset, the “H” took control of the game, widening a gap of four goals (6-2) in the first six minutes thanks to a more aggressive defense, and the spectators felt that PSG, hegemonic l he last year, being the first French team to win all its matches in the league, could fall.
But Paris came back halfway through the first period, even taking the lead at half-time (19-17) taking advantage of temporary exclusions from Nantes and the demonstration of their new goalkeeper, the Swede Andrea Palicka, who has long disgusted the players of the “H” (9 stops in total), before faltering in the second half.
“I hope it will come soon”
Because the “H” came back to score in the 33rd minute (20-20), forcing Parisian coach Raul Gonzalez to take a timeout early in the second period, a rare thing. Nothing helped, the Parisian machine had jammed, lacking solutions in the offensive phases, overwhelmed by the commitment of the Nantes.
Two consecutive parades by Nantes goalkeeper Ivan Pesic against Ferran Solé five minutes from time, then a goal by one of the summer recruits of the “H” Jorge Maqueda put an end to the suspense.
“I hope it will come quickly,” Parisian Nikola Karabatic told BeIn Sports after the match, regarding the adjustments the capital club is facing this season with its reshuffled squad. “It’s only the start of the season. »
For his first official match on the bench of Nantes as head coach, Grégory Cojean congratulated the “good match” of his players. “We wanted to assess ourselves. We had a full match, it confirmed our good preparation. »
Beaten three times in as many games last season by the capital club, Nantes won the first leg of the duel that awaits them in the Starligue. A first thrill.
