Foreshadow: Veszprém – PSG

The VELUX EHF Champions League FINAL4 kicks off this Saturday when Telekom Veszprém clashes with Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final in Lanxess Arena in Cologne. The game starts at 3:15 p.m. but Sport1 broadcasts live from 2:00 p.m.

 

 

Veszprém could not win games this year against PSG. Even though we knocked them out in the quarter finals twice in 2014 and 2015, we lost both of our games against them this season. Both teams were in Group “A” where PSG won in Veszprém 28:29, and a week later they won in Paris 28:24. With these 2 wins Paris came up in the history, close to Veszprém but the advantage is still ours. We played 8 games against them so far and we won 4, while PSG won 3 games and achieved a draw. In the last clash between the two team Aron Palmarsson scored 5 while Nagy László scored 4 goals.

 

Group “A” brought a fierce fight for the top spot and PSG missed it just by 1 point and was placed behind Barcelona. They played 14 games and won 12 while losing only twice. Right in the first round Kiel managed to beat them by 1 goal. After that only Barcelona could beat them in Spain. In the best 16 they faced their French rival Nantes. PSG achieved a draw in Nantes but after that they won by 8 goals at home and marched on through to the quarter-finals where they played against Szeged. The Hungarians made them fight hard because the star-studded French team could win by 3 goals in Hungary and then achieve a draw at home. Despite the small margin Paris qualified for the Final4.

 

 

If PSG wins the trophy this year it will make Nikola Karabatic the only handball player ever to win the series with 4 different teams after winning with Montpellier in 2003, with Kiel in 2007 and with Barcelona in 2015. Top scorers for PSG in the Champions League: Uwe Gensheimer with 106, Mikkel Hansen with 88 and Nedim Remilim with 74 goals.

 

PSG managed to defend their title in the Lidl Starligue. Behind them Nantes trailed by 7 points. Paris won 24 games out of 25 and lost only once. The top scorer of the league is Uwe Gensheimer netting 160 goals in 23 games. Behind him in the team is Mikkel Hansen with 101 and Nikola Karabatic with 96 goals.

 

Telekom Veszprém’s last game was the rematch of Hungarian championship final in Szeged where we lost by 3 goals, however by winning with 6 goals at home it meant that Veszprém bagged another championship title, the 10th in a row and 25th in total. The last time they stepped on court in the Champions League they played in Montpellier and thanks to a fantastic second period they won 30:25 and qualified for the VELUX EHF Champions League – 4 times in a row.

 

Let's go Veszprém!

 

 

Photos: Zsolt Melczer