Starligue: by beating Ivry thanks to a good second half, MHB gets off to a good start in the championship

Valentin Porte a mené les siens en début de match, avec quelques prises d'intervalles. Midi Libre – Michael Esdourrubailh

Le Montpellier Handball s'est imposé contre Ivry lors de la 16e journée de Starligue grâce à une bien meilleure deuxième mi-temps (35-29), vendredi 9 février au FDI Stadium.

Montpellier – Ivry: 35-29

Half-time: 17-15.
Spectators: 2600 approx.
MONTPELLIER: Bolzinger (33% saves, 2 saves on 6 shots). Desbonnet (2 goals, 38%, 15/40 dt 0/2 penalties), Karlsson (3 goals on 4 shots), Simonet (2/3), Pellas (9/12 including 6/9 on penalties) , Panic (1/2), A. Lenne (6/6), Skube (5/6), Prat (3/3), Konan, Dubois (0/1), Monte (1/4), Fournié (0 /1), (cap.) Porte (3/3), Berthier (0/1).
Two minutes in Montpellier: Konan (31st), Skube (38th), Panic (51st), Tavares (55th).
IVRY: Bernard (27% saves, 7 saves on 26 shots including 0/2 on penalties), Sunjic (4/19 dt 0/1 pen.). Bozovic (0 goal on 1 shot), Longerinas, M. Petit, Martinez (1/4), Garcia (2/2), L. Petit (3/4), Mohamed (3/5 dt 2/2 pen.) , Zaepfel (8/12), Jorgensen (1/3), De Almeida (1/2), Ooms (8/9), Almeida (2/6), Loredon (0/1).
Two minutes in Ivry: Ooms (11th), Loredon (18th), L. Petit (45th), Garcia (53rd), De Almeida (54th) .
Score evolution: 2-0, 2nd; 4-2, 6th; 4-4, 7th; 5-5, 12th; 8-6, 14th; 10-8, 16th; 11-9, 20th; 12-12, 23rd; 14-14, 26th; 15-15, 29th; 18-16, 33rd; 20-18, 37th; 22-20, 39th; 24-21, 43rd; 28-21, 47th; 29-24, 50th; 31-25, 53rd; 34-25, 56th ;35-27, 59th. 

Thanks to a match in diesel mode, MHB ended up beating Ivry for their return to business in Starligue. After its last two defeats of 2023 in Toulouse (33-29) and Nantes (31-30), Patrice Canayer's team is starting its second part of the championship on the right foot, following the pace of Nantes, victorious at Dunkirk (23-29), and PSG, winner of Chartres (44-30).

Also read: The joker, the departures of Sebastian Karlsson and Karl Konan, the MHB squad next year… president Julien Deljarry takes stock

All before resuming the thread of its European season, Wednesday at home, against the Slovenians of Celje, while the Montpellier residents are in fourth place in Group B of the Champions League, four days behind the end of the group stage. 

Simonet injured in the ankle

Friday evening against Ivry, after Arthur Cazaux kicked off the match and Kyllian Villeminot was extended until 2028, the Montpellier residents first suffered in the first period. The fault of a permeable defense, despite a precious Skube in the lead. The MHB still managed to take the lead at the break (17-15), while the young Prat, Lenne, Berthier and Dubois were present alongside Desbonnet, Skube and Panic. 

Also read: "It's a no-brainer to stay here" : the MHB manages to extend its center half Kyllian Villeminot until 2028

In the second period, even if they managed a first hole (20-16, 36th), the Héraultais saw Ivry come back to within a goal. Particularly after Stas Skube lost his temper after an uncalled foul suffered by Arthur Lenne, earning him a two-minute exclusion. But thanks to this defensive intensity shown by Patrice Canayer's teams, Montpellier took off never to be caught again. 

The only downside on this beautiful evening was the injury to Diego Simonet, who left after hurting his right ankle, a few days before the reception in Celje.

“We alternated between very, very good sequences and much more passable moments”

Patrice Canayer, MHB coach: "The gap is correct, when you finish a match with the most big gap it's rather positive and that we have gained momentum. It was a match that was a little difficult because we alternated between very, very good sequences and much more passable moments in the defensive sector. With this alternation, there was a little too much irritation, these are two things to improve. Defensively it's perhaps the most difficult to work on because you have to be committed, but we will have to come back to certain points in training. Even if in the second half it was better compared to that."