Paris (AFP)

The handball players from Brest overthrew Metz in the final of the Women's League on Sunday in their Arena, to win the Breton club's first French champion title, a reward for a season that allowed them to gain the upper hand over the rival Moselle.

The tears of joy of the Brest coach Laurent Bezeau, who lived his last home match on the BBH bench, and the dance steps of the Brestoises at the end of the meeting will remain in the memories of the BBH supporters, well at -beyond the 800 authorized to take place in the stands.

"I'm so happy. It was a crazy atmosphere. We fought like bitches because the start of the game was very hard. And then we did it, we did it!" , commented at the microphone of the Sport channel in France the left-handed wing of the BBH, Pauline Coatanea.

"I've been here for four years, I want to write the history of the club. Today we are champions of France, it was difficult, but I'm so happy," continued the 27-year-old French international .

At the end of such a special season marked by the health crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, the title was finally played at the end of the suspense, and on the goals scored away, since each of the two teams won their home game by seven goals.

But Brest went to score 24 goals four days ago in Metz, while the Messines only scored 22 on Sunday in the Brest Arena.

Brest achieved for the first time in its history the Women's League / Coupe de France double, a week after winning their third Coupe de France (after 2016 and 2018).

In 2016, the Arvor 29 club, based in Brest, won the title of champion of France, just before going bankrupt and the BBH starting from scratch.

- Place in Final 4 of C1 -

Laurent Bezeau's players were still hanging on at the end of the first period of the return match, but ignited the start of the second half, carried by the parades of Danish goalkeeper Sandra Toft (5 out of 7 shots between the 30th and the 40th minute, 8 in total).

In front of six goals on a realization of Coatanea in the 41st (21-15), they had to wait ten more minutes to finally take control of the final in the aggregate of the two matches, on two goals from Pauletta Foppa (28- 20, 52nd), served twice by Slovenian right-back Ana Gros, once again immense for her last match at the Brest Arena, author of 10 goals (including six penalties).

The Brest room was limited to 800 spectators, but it fully played its role as 8th player for the BBH, especially in the last ten minutes when Brest had to negotiate nearly four minutes of numerical inferiority.

This coronation confirms the transfer of power between Brest and Metz on the national scene, the Bretons ending the fine series of Messines who had won the last four titles (from 2016 to 2019, in 2020 the title had not been awarded ).

Coralie Lassource's teammates will now have to concentrate again to tackle a much higher mountain the Hungarian club Györ, triple continental title holder, in six days in the semi-final of the Champions League, for the first Final 4 of Brest in the form of an apotheosis.

© 2021 AFP