Montpellier Handball wavered against Aix (29-33) despite a solid start and a five-goal lead. A collective lapse cost MHB dearly, beaten before their European quarterfinal.
The Montpellier players, who were at the heart of preparing well for their European League quarterfinal, wanted to set the pace but encountered an inspired Joze Baznik in goal (7/20 in the first half). Montpellier was leading the way and even had the opportunity to pull away. However, the Hérault players missed too many opportunities, allowing Aix to get back into the game. Aix reduced the deficit to just one goal at halftime.
Erick Mathé, Montpellier’s coach, said: “We started the match well even though we missed a lot of shots from 6 meters. We started well in the second half, then we stopped playing. From then on, it was an individual sport in attack. Everyone wanted to go alone, our collective play was disrupted. We can only blame ourselves. We should have easily controlled this match, we were in the right tempo and it ended in defeat. We lacked concentration, defensive lightness. I am annoyed by this collective performance. We had a lifeline in the last 6 matches in the championship, and we start this series by using it up. It is more than disappointment. Many things are mixed up. We beat PSG and then here, we think that playing for fifteen minutes is enough to win, even though we were warned they would pose problems.”
Aix remained in the match, but they completely missed the start of the second half. With two successive temporary exclusions. Montpellier took advantage to extend their lead by 5 points (40th minute).
Montpellier did not seal the deal, on the contrary, they allowed their opponent to get back in the game. The Aix players, who had several chances to equalize, finally succeeded five minutes before the end of the match. Then they took the lead for the first time in the match three minutes before the end. They managed to maintain that lead and even build on it to eventually win by four goals. A success that seemed far but reflects the strong reaction of the Aix players. Montpellier, on the other hand, may have already turned their attention to Europe…
