MOTW SUMMARY: PSG edge out Plock in last-second drama
Round 3 of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2024/25 was wrapped up Thursday night by the Match of the Week between Orlen Wisla Plock and Paris Saint-Germain Handball. The match in Poland went down to the wire, with the visitors taking both points (24:23) in dramatic fashion after their goalkeeper Andreas Palicka saved a post-buzzer penalty.
23:15
What a finish to round 3 of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League 2024/25 group phase! Plock seemed to be heading towards their first point(s) of the season, but PSG stepped it up in the right moment and took both points – 24:23, mainly thanks to Andreas Palicka, who had several stunning saves in the second half, most notably that penalty from Michal Daszek on the last throw of the match. With eight goals, Daszek still was the game's best scorer, but he would have loved to get that ninth in as well...
Europe's top flight takes a break now for the national team week, but your favourite men's continental club handball competition returns to action on 9 and 10 October.
Until then, thanks for joining us here on the live blog and have a good night!
23:03
So many highlights this MOTW, we couldn't squeeze them all into this video. What a joy to watch:
22:52
No wonder that only one man could get the Player of the Match award after this MOTW. He didn't start great, but he finished superb, and that is what counts in the end.
Meet your Player of the Match... Andreas Palicka!
22:46
And this, of course, is the moment of the MOTW... Andreas Palicka had already scored twice, saved a bunch of first-class chances from Plock, and then this happened after the final buzzer:
#MOTW 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐓 🙌
— EHF Champions League (@ehfcl) September 26, 2024
🇵🇱Orlen Wisla Plock 23:24 Paris Saint-Germain Handball🇫🇷
Goalkeeping match led by 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗮🌟#ehfcl #clm #handball pic.twitter.com/zyTNYFsZIE
22:41
Let's hear from Plock goalkeeper Viktor Halgrímsson, one of the main reasons Plock were ahead for so long in the MOTW, right after the 24:23 defeat against PSG:
A few important moments in the second half we didn't do well enough. Tough game, close game, we have done really well. It is coming together, we have been working hard in training to get the speed up, to get the defence up like it was last year. Today we showed how we can play, we just needed maybe a few more goals. Palicka made a lot of good saves.
20:36
Plock have won just two of their eight matches in the Machineseeker EHF Champions League in the calendar year 2024 – but one of them was at home against a team from France: 22:18 against Montpellier HB in February. They are on a four-game losing streak, since they lost both play-off games against PSG last season. But the French side then went on to lose twice against eventual champions Barça in the quarter-finals:
20:25
Here are some more facts and figures about this MOTW:
20:07
Both teams arrive at this MOTW on the back of a defeat: Plock lost to Dinamo Bucuresti 28:26 last week, while PSG got steamrolled in Veszprém, 41:28. What is worse for Plock, though, is that they also lost in round 1 – away at Sporting CP – so tonight they are seeking their first points of the season.
Speaking about 'first points' – Plock also seek their first points ever against PSG, as they have lost all eight duels they have played against each other so far, since 2015:
20:00
Ready for a sweet desert to finish off this week's Machineseeker EHF Champions League menu? Welcome to the live blog for the Match of the Week between Orlen Wisla Plock and Paris Saint-Germain Handball!
The game in Poland starts at 20:45 CEST and is the last of the eight matches scheduled in round 3.
