Paris (AFP)
By snatching the victory at the last second (25-24) against the Poles of Kielce, 4th in the last exercise, Montpellier validated its ticket for the knockout stages of the Champions League on Saturday evening in its Bougnol hall.
The men of Patrice Canayer have 13 points three days before the end of the group phase and are sure to finish in one of the first six places in their group, synonymous with qualification for the 8th finals of the queen of hand competition European.
The first place occupied by the Germans of Kiel (18 points), which sends directly to the quarterfinals, seems however out of reach.
In a very close encounter, the Montpellier racers led the race in the last quarter of an hour (20-18, 21-19 and then 24-22). But their efforts almost came to naught with the equalization of Julen Aguinagalde twenty seconds from the end.
It was without counting on a shot from Mohamed Soussi at the last second, he who however had completely missed a first shot of the win wins sixty seconds earlier.
"Kielce put a big tempo on each match and we knew that if we wanted to win, we had to follow their pace a bit, while putting ours. It was difficult. We didn't have a very good first half-time, "said Hugo Descat, left winger for Montpellier, at the microphone of beIN Sports after the match.
"The goal of + Momo + at the end is extraordinary. Great team, great game and we held on well at the end," added Descat.
This victory allowed the Hérault to pass Kielce, present at the Final Four of the Champions League last year (4th place in the final) in 3rd place in the group.
It makes them especially good for morale, after an unexpected setback in the championship against Ivry (30-25) who takes them away from the head of the ranking occupied by the untouchable Parisians (10 points behind in Starligue).
"We showed a better face than against Ivry. It's nice, especially in front of our audience. With a match every three days, we don't have time to think about it. We said things in the locker room, but we didn't talk about it for 48 hours, we quickly got to work and we understood that certain attitudes do not pass, "said Descat.
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