Paris (AFP)
Without forcing, the Parisian handball players signed on Saturday their 14th success in as many matches in the French Championship, winning at home in Coubertin against Créteil (28-24), and pursuing their sole rider at the head of the Starligue.
Raul Gonzalez's players total 28 points, the maximum possible, while Montpellier, the first pursuer of PSG, can thank his captain Valentin Porte, author of the victory goal in Saint-Raphaël (30-29), on the buzzer.
This success allows Patrice Canayer's players not to leave points in the way in their race in pursuit of PSG.
The Héraultais have 22 points, with one game less than the Parisians on the clock.
Third in the standings, Aix is one point behind Montpellier and seven behind PSG, with one and two games less respectively on the clock.
At home, PSG mastered Créteil in this Ile-de-France derby, with precious Kamil Syprzak at the pivot position (5 out of 5) and Yann Genty impassable (16 stops).
The suspense was much more important in the Var, between Saint-Raphaël and Montpellier.
With up to four goals behind (20-16, 33rd), the Héraultais raced behind, in scoring, for more than 40 minutes.
"I have the impression that we miss the first period a little. We conceded 19 goals, it is not in our classics. We knew that we had to do better, but we are taking the game in hand, with a lot of serenity and experience ", summarized Porte at the microphone of beIN Sports after the meeting.
"After, we rush when we are in front of two goals (25-23, then 26-24 and 27-25, Editor's note). We had the impression that he was going to slip into our hands, this match , and in any case that we were not going to take the two points, "he added, relieved by this victory on a shot at the last second.
In this meeting, the attacks were at the party in the first period: 35 goals, 19-16 for Saint-Raphaël at the break.
Then the goalkeepers, Kévin Bonnefoi (12 stops) for the MHB and Alexandre Demaille (10 parades) in Saint-Raphaël, provided the spectacle in the last 20 minutes.
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