Cologne (Germany) (AFP)

Dirty day for French clubs: after PSG, defeated by Danish outsider Aalborg, Nantes in turn lost in the semi-final of the Handball Champions League, in front of FC Barcelona, ​​Saturday in Cologne, Germany .

The final of the C1 will therefore give rise on Sunday (6 p.m.) to a shock of extremes between the Catalan ogre, in search of a tenth record title, and Aalborg, present for the first time in the Final Four.

And not in a 100% French duel, as three years ago when Montpellier won in the final ahead of Nantes to win the Cup for the second time.

The MHB remains the only French team to have gone to the end.

In the Lanxess Arena, sparse due to the Covid-19 pandemic (700 to 800 spectators), FC Barcelona enforced the hierarchy (31-26), something not systematic in a competition format marked by surprises since its first edition in 2010.

Aalborg's performance in front of Paris SG (35-33) demonstrated it again.

Led by their Swedish center-half Felix Claar (9 goals), the Scandinavian club brought down PSG.

For the fifth time in six years, the Parisian club suffered a failure in the Final Four and will have to wait another year to hope to finally win the trophy.

The French champion can only blame himself and the spaces left to the Scandinavian attackers, Claar of course but also René Antonsen (5 goals) or Henrik Mollgaard (4 goals), former left-back of PSG.

"We lacked rigor and discipline in our game. The intensity was there, but the rigor and intensity were on Aalborg's side in this second period. They remained calm, they took the advantage and everything. They succeeded at a time when, on the contrary, it was not successful for us ", summarized Nedim Remili, top Parisian scorer (7).

The capital team led the score for more than 45 minutes and took up to 5 lengths in the second half (21-16).

But the future team of Danish fullback Mikkel Hansen (6 goals) has found the resources to reverse the trend thanks to his fast play and high-level fireworks.

PSG goalkeepers Vincent Gérard and Yann Genty have not been able to be decisive.

"I have no more hair to lose and today I took ten or fifteen years! But I'm so proud," said Aalborg coach Stefan Madsen.

To convert the dream into reality, his squad will have to achieve a new feat on Sunday, against Barça who have been able to show themselves solid in front of Nantes.

The Blaugrana led 15-13 at the break, like PSG, but they did not give in to the assaults of the "H".

After the surprise victory of the Scandinavian club against PSG, Nantes delivered a good resistance in front of Barcelona and its French colony (Mem, Fabregas, Nguessan, Sorhaindo) had the last word.

- Decisive Perez de Vargas -

The "H", which had ruled out two large engines, Veszprem and Kielce, during the previous laps, gave way in the last quarter of an hour.

The Blaugrana were notably able to count on a good Gonzalo Perez de Vargas in the goals.

Less than six months after their defeat in the final of the previous edition against the Germans in Kiel, Barcelona therefore have a new opportunity to win the European Cup for the first time since 2015.

For its part, Aalborg may become the first Danish club to put its name on the competition's record.

© 2021 AFP