Paris (AFP)

The handball players of Paris SG were hooked by Aix but ended up winning 34 to 31, for their first match of the French Championship, while Nantes took place against Ivry (30-24), Sunday, at the end of the 1st Starleague day.

The Parisians, beaten by the Germans from Flensburg on Wednesday in the Champions League (29-28) in Coubertin, once again offered a suspenseful match to their audience, who came in limited numbers due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hanging on by Aix until the last minutes (28-28, 53rd), the six-fold reigning French champions made the difference thanks to their center-half Nikola Karabatic at 8 out of 10 shooting in the game, and his brother Luka Karabatic at the pivot position (5 out of 5).

The meeting against Aix was a bit like that against Flensburg, with dominating Parisians.

"We never managed to make the hole. We were able to find the necessary resources in the last five minutes to make the play fall on the right side this time," slipped PSG goalkeeper Vincent Gérard at the microphone of beIN Sports.

For its part, Nantes had fewer worries to control Ivry in its Arena de Beaulieu, winning 30 to 24.

"It was not easy. Ivry is a difficult team to maneuver. It could have been a trap but we didn't fall into it. We were able to be solid 60 minutes. Overall, it's a good game ", reacted the captain of the" H ", Rock Feliho.

Parisians and Nantes will return to the Champions League in the middle of next week, with a trip to Brest, Belarus, for Paris SG on Wednesday, and the reception of the Barcelona ogre for Nantes, still in Beaulieu, Thursday.

Next week, they will play their second league match, Saturday against Cesson-Rennes at home for PSG, and in Chartres on Sunday for Nantes.

© 2020 AFP