Messines bowed to the holders of the Norwegian title (27-33), Saturday in Budapest.
Le Monde with AFP
The walk was far too high for the handball players of Metz in the semi-finals of the Champions League, against the holders of the title of Kristiansand, carried by the Norwegian goalkeeper Katrine Lunde and the Czech left back Marketa Jerabkova on Saturday in Budapest.
The first Messina experience in the end 4 of the Champions League three seasons had been frustrating. With a prestigious workforce (Béatrice Edwige, Laura Glauser, Laura Flippes, Manon Houette, thanks Zaadi, Méline Nocandy, Orlane Kanor), the players of Emmanuel Mayonnade had missed the first fifteen minutes against Rostov, and had bowed down A small goal.
Three seasons later, Zaadi was still present, just like Nocandy and Kanor, but the Messines left the Dome of Budapest, Saturday June 4, without too many regrets, beaten with six goals (33-27), driving during Sixty minutes on the goalkeeper, Katrine Lunde, who, at 42, continues her exceptional services (16 stops). “Lunde, she alone beats us, she kills the match on her own. And we, behind, we can’t padlock everything so that our guards do more stops,” summarized Méline Nocandy very well, who will leave his training club for Paris 92, after the match for third place Sunday against the Danes of Esbjerg.
The messines managed in the first period to recover from a first gap of five goals in favor of Kristiansand (13-8), to go back to just before the break on a goal from the left wing Laura Kanor (15 -14). The return Messin was made possible by the beautiful entrance to Mélanie Halter, who released the +6 ball on Nora Mork, sounding the revolt. “If I was caricatuating a little, I would say that the entrance to Mélanie allows us to stabilize the gap and come back, and her blow less well in the second period allows the opponent to recreate the gap. Constant for an hour, “notes the coach of Metz, Emmanuel Mayonnade.
” We miss a lot of little things “
Because after having controlled the return of the locker room, the Messines once again encountered Lunde, and the surprise effect of halter on the Norwegian attack has completely evaporated. Unlike the first period, Kristiansand did not completely squander his advance of seven goals, and was able to master the end of the meeting.
“In their game, we knew everything they were going to do”, plague Méline Nocandy, while the Messines had beaten Kristiansand twice in the group phase matches, in Moselle and Norway. The Czech rear Czech Marketa Jerabkova was unplayable in attack, with 12 goals, all in the game, and an insolent success of 75 %.
“We lack lots of little things to rock. We have an air hole in the middle of the second period which hurts our heads, very clearly. We have never found the resources to come back, So much the opponent put us in trouble, “adds Emmanuel Mayonnade.
The Dragons have about twenty hours to rest and try to get third place, so as not to start from Hungary as in 2019 with two defeats. “I will have to find in five minutes the resources, explain that in the desire for the structure to progress, we must validate this kind of match for 3rd place,” slipped Mayonnade after the meeting.
For the European title, they will follow from the stands of Dome de Budapest – 14,800 spectators on Saturday -, Kristiansand’s challenge in the face of Györ’s dream workforce (Stine oftedal, Estelle Nze Minko, Silje Solberg, Laura Glause ), for farewell to the handball of Amandine Leynaud, after a successful success against Esbjerg (32-27) of the Hungarian club.