Starligue: MHB sent a message to the competition by crushing Limoges, before going to Nantes

Hesham et les Montpelliérains sont sortis grands vainqueurs du duel contre Limoges. Midi Libre – Dorian Cayuela

Montpellier a assumé son statut de prétendant en écrabouillant Limoges (32-26), samedi 21 septembre au soir lors de la troisième journée de Starligue, avant d’aller à Nantes dimanche prochain.

The next time he wants to look for Kylian Villeminot, Timmy Petit from Limoges will probably think twice. Relegated to four lengths with more than 20 minutes to go, this troublesome LH team still had a chance to bother Erick Mathé's team again.

But Petit's teasing ultimately buried any chance of a comeback. The episode heated up tempers, names were exchanged between the two benches and Villeminot started walking on water.

The Montpellier centre-half scored four goals in a row, provoked a forced shot from Limoges that Charles Bolzinger (excellent on Saturday evening) stopped before Jaime Fernandez blew up the FDI Stadium on the counter-attack to give the team a six-goal lead (26-20, 43rd).

“It was a testosterone rush and then it pass"

“I'm not against these kinds of moments, if it doesn't take us out of the game. It was a testosterone rush and then it passes”, smiled Érick Mathé. The MHB coach couldn't have been more right since AlbertoEntrerrios' players never recovered, Petit even receiving the wrath of his teammates.

Starligue: the ranking and results of the third day

“We didn't know how to have this rebellion against the opposing team. It is a pity that we fight among ourselves and not with the adversary”, the Spanish coach fumed. Blowing up a team that many people saw coming to seriously bother Montpellier after coming close to the feat against Paris (29-30), that's all the merit of Valentin Porte and his teammates.

If the defense follows this season…

Especially since they also had their hot moments when they spent their time cursing the referees when things weren't going in their favor (5-7, 11th) to still be ahead at half-time (17-15). 

Before Villeminot climbed on his cloud and the defensive intensity of this team makes the powder speak, as against Saint-Raphaël, but against a completely different adversity this time, Saturday evening. Sending a message to the competition in passing: we will have to count on this MHB, if he manages to reproduce his defensive performances.

“As the match progressed we were able to regain the upper hand defensively to make them doubt and gain momentum, that's what I remember. But the little guilty pleasure of this team is its tendency to focus on the whistle rather than on itself", Captain Porte argued after the match. "

I think we would gain more by focusing on ourselves, by questioning ourselves rather than immediately turning to the referee", he continued. It won't be too much to finally beat Nantes next Sunday, and send one more message. A very big one this time.

Montpellier – Limoges: 32-26

FDI Stadium.
Half-time: 17-15.
Referees: S. Artes and B. Bolla.
Spectators: Around 2,600.
MONTPELLIER: Bolzinger (48%, 10 saves on 21 shots including 0/1 pen), Desbonnet (25%, 5/17 including 0/3 pen.), Karlsson (2/3), Simonet (2/3), Villeminot (11/13 including 6/7 on penalties), Pellas (3/5), Cikusa (1/1), Hesham (5/9), Fernandez (1/1), A. Lenne (1/1), Prat, Konan, Guigon, Monte (3/8), (cap.) Porte (2/2), Nacinovic (1/1).
Two minutes at: A. Lenne (2nd, 37th), Hesham (14th), Porte (22nd, 39th), Monte (28th).
LIMOGES: Slavic (28%, 7 saves on 25 shots including 0/4 pen), Ivah (13%, 2/15 including 1/5 pen.). Yusuf (3/6), Guillaume (1/1), Kervadec (1/3), Ogando (1/1), Kusan (4/5), Tokic, Turchenko (3/9 dt 1/1 pen.), Azkue (1/1), Nieto (3/4), Thuillier (1/2), (cap.) Hrstic (0/3), El Deraa (7/8 dt 3/3 pen.), Varela Monteiro (1/1), Small.
Two minutes at: Kusan (10th), Nieto (21st).

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