Article entered: April 5, 2024
Orlen Wisła handball players lost away in the return match of the 1/8 finals of the Champions League against the French champion Paris Saint-Germain 33:34 (15:18) and were eliminated from the competition. In the first match in Płock, Raul Gonzales’ team also won 30:26.
PSG – Orlen Wisła 34:33 (18:15)
PSG: Jannick Green, Leo Villain – Ruben Marchan, Luc Steins 4, Robin Tonnesen 1, David Balanguer 8, Mathieu Grebille 3, Kamil Syprzak 7, Luka Karabatic, Jakob Holm, Nikola Karabatic 2, Wallem-Konrad Peleka, Elohim Prandi 9.
Orlen Wisła: Mirko Alilovic, Marcel Jastrzębski – Michał Daszek 1, Tin Lucin 2, Tomas Piroch 3, Abel Serdio 6, Leon Susnja 1, Gergo Fazekas 3, Przemysław Krajewski 8, Gonzalo Perez 1, Mirad Terzic, Dawid Dawydzik 1, Lovro Mihic 3, Niko Mindegia 2, Dimitri Zhitnikov 2.
Penalty minutes: PSG – 12; Orlen Wisła – 10. Referees: Jonasz Eliasson, Anton Palsson (Iceland).
Never before in the history of meetings between both teams has Orlen Wisła won against Paris Saint-Germain. All of them ended with the victory of the rivals who were the favorites. In the first match played a week ago in Płock, the guests won 30:26, which means they had a four-goal advantage.
The beginning of the match was even, goal for goal. In the 4th minute, the hosts took a 2-goal lead, but in the 7th minute the score was 5:5, and in the 13th minute even the Płock team was leading 8:6. But they didn’t enjoy the advantage for long, as the hosts quickly equalized (8:8 in the 14th minute).
Orlen Wisła’s next two attacks were stopped by Jannick Green, and Elohim Prandi defeated Marcel Jastrzębski twice in response. After a successful penalty kick by Kamil Syprzak, PSG was leading 11:9 in the 18th minute, and 12:9 in the 20th minute. The goal was scored by Luc Steins. When Syprzak scored in the 21st minute in Płock, he was very agitated by the situation on the court and coach Xavi Sabate asked for a break in the game.
The hosts gained a four-goal advantage, but in the 25th minute Orlen Wisła reduced the defeat to 15:13. PSG was even leading 18:13 in the 28th minute, but the players went into the break with the score at 18:15.
The Płock team started the second half quite well. In the 34th minute the score was 20:18, they were only two goals behind the hosts in the 35th minute (21:19), but PSG quickly increased their lead.
Orlen Wisła played practically without a goalkeeper, none of the players defended, and there were mistakes in attack. The effects were visible on the scoreboard. Even though coach Sabate asked for a second time-out in the 37th minute, the hosts were leading 25:19 in the 40th minute. The Płock team couldn’t find a way against their rivals, who were having a great time on the court, taking advantage of the next opportunities they created.
The safe difference probably lulled the hosts a bit, as they allowed the Płock team to make up for some of the losses. In the 49th minute, after a goal by Dmitry Zhitnikov and two further goals by Lovro Mihic, the score was 28:26 and coach Raul Gonzales asked for a break in the game.
However, PSG did not take advantage of the coach’s comments, because in the 51st minute Zhytnikov scored a goal at 28:27 and there was going to be a surprise. For the next minutes it was a goal-for-goal game, but Orlen Wisła had no chance to make up for the four goals lost in Płock.
But there was a chance for a good result, because in the 55th minute after Abel Serdio’s throw the score was 30:30. The hosts quickly returned to their playing style. First, Syprzak scored in Płock, then Nikola Karabatic twice, and PSG took the lead 33:30 in the 58th minute. Coach Sabate used the last timeout.
Ultimately, the hosts won 34:33, there was no surprise, PSG players advanced. In the quarterfinals, the winners of the two-legged match went to Barcelona. (PAP)
