Paris (AFP)
After leading the score for a long time, the Nantes handball players conceded the draw against the Germans of Kiel, reigning European champions, 24 to 24, Thursday evening on the penultimate day of the group stage of the League champions.
With this point and their first draw of this 20/21 European campaign, the Nantes residents remain in 6th place in their group with 11 points (five wins, one draw, seven losses), one less than Kiel (12, 4th ), which however has two matches less than the "H" on the clock.
A week after having achieved an excellent match in Barcelona and having shaken the undefeated leader of this group (defeat 30-29), Nantes once again hooked one of the very best teams in Europe for more than 50 minutes.
Thanks to a very good first period from Danish goalkeeper Emil Nielsen (9 saves on 18 shots), Nantes returned to the locker room with a three-goal lead (12-9), leaving the Kiel shooters with only nine goals.
A lead that they managed to maintain until six minutes from the end (23-30, 54th), on a goal from the pivot Dragan Pechmalbec.
But they gave in at the end of the game, to end in a draw (24-24).
Macedonian right-back Kiril Lazarov finished the game as Nantes top scorer (5 goals), while Aymeric Minne (4 goals) came out in the middle of the second half after twisting his left ankle.
The players of Alberto Entrerrios, winner in Kiel in the first leg, will complete this first phase of the C1 next Wednesday traveling to Hungary, in the hall of Veszprem, second in this very tough group with three (Kiel, Barcelona, Veszprem) of four participants in the Final 4 of the 2019/20 season, played at the end of December due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
With the remodeling of the Champions League, Nantes are guaranteed to play the round of 16 of the queen European competition, at the beginning of April.
They will finish 6th in their group at the worst.
© 2021 AFP