Montpellier Handball has a twelve-goal lead after the first leg but has just lost to Tremblay. Confidence.
Montpellier Handball has learned the hard way: a comfortable cushion of goals is not always enough. In 2024, MHB found themselves in a tricky situation against Kiel (21-31) after a stellar performance at home (39-30).
Elverum, crushed like a puzzle (36-24) last Tuesday, is not Kiel, fortunately. And the European League is not yet the Champions League, far from it. Should we be overly optimistic before the return match on Tuesday, April 7th (6:45 PM) in Norway?
The unexpected loss on Saturday in the championship against Tremblay (36-35) calls for humility. When Montpellier does not bring all the ingredients to the game, the team can become ordinary again.
The absence of Thurin hurts
Additionally, they will once again have to deal with the absence of Jack Thurin, not always effective in his right-back play but incredibly efficient at 7 meters when it comes to converting penalties. In Tremblay, Léo Plantin, David Balaguer, and Lucas Guigon missed four penalties. Do the math!
“We shouldn’t blame these guys,” Erick Mathé warns. “Jack has also experienced failures in this exercise. It happens. So far, he took all the shots, all the responsibility. The others may have lacked fine-tuning and practice.”
Regarding the stumble in Tremblay, the MHB coach knew he was in great danger. With or without Thurin. “Between two European Cup matches, these things happen. It was a trap game. We had the keys to win but missed too many sitters.” A dozen according to the national Handball League statistics.
Warm reception
In Elverum, where they should receive a warm reception – the Norwegians did not like the end of the game at the FDI Stadium – the Héraultais are condemned to raise all percentages. A challenge for Charles Bolzinger who made 16 saves in the first leg.
Arriving at their hotel on Sunday afternoon, Erick Mathé’s men had Easter Monday to reflect on it all and, if necessary, get their minds right. “We must quickly focus on Elverum. The team has experience with these sequences. Above all, it is well equipped to secure qualification,” believes the Montpellier technician.
Group: Bolzinger, Desbonnet. Simonet, Villeminot, Srna, Moraes, Casado, Guigon, Lenne, Soutoul, Porte, Balaguer, Plantin, Monte, Prat.
