VIDEO. “It was trench warfare in the second half”, “I’m very proud of the guys”… reactions after MHB – Zagreb

The joy of the MHB players after their victory against Zagreb. FREE NOON – Dorian Cayuela

Patrice Canayer and his players were obviously very satisfied with MHB's qualification for the quarter-finals of the Champions League, after their victory against Zagreb (30-24), Wednesday March 3 at the FDI Stadium.

Patrice Canayer, MHB coach:"As you can imagine, I am very satisfied. Especially compared to the behavior of the team which went for qualification when it was most difficult, at the start of the second half. It was the most important moment of the match. This type of encounter is a matter of physics, tactics but also mentality. From this point of view, the boys were very good. It was a joy and a pleasure to play against this Zagreb team. She delivered two very high quality matches."

Rémi Desbonnet, MHB goalkeeper:"We put in a great defensive performance. We knew how to answer it. The tactical battle was tough. In the second half, it was trench warfare. We were able to raise our level of play at that time. I'm very proud of the guys. Special mention for our audience who made this evening a great thing."

Valentin Porte, captain of the MHB: "We were a little hungry in the first half because we didn't get into the match the way we wanted. We weren't precise or in control enough. At half-time, we said to ourselves that there were 30 minutes left, we wanted to rush, now we have to tighten things up, have fun and set the room on fire. Our second half was monstrous, I think we gained confidence in defense where we had some very good sequences. Behind, it set the room on fire, it gave us confidence and then it made for a great evening. We closed everything down, we relied on a few saves too, we must have taken ten or eleven goals in the second& ;hellip; This is what was needed.

Now that the group stage is over, all the cards are redistributed, there are no more favorites or outsiders, we'll see. We'll see who is better at the moment, tonight it was us. When the quarters arrive, we'll see what happens. The appetite comes with eating, we qualified for the eighth, now the quarters against Kiel… I always have in mind 2018 when no one was expecting us, and against expectations we had a great crossing, so why not. Now we have to respect and demystify everyone and trust each other.

We had quite a few hiccups during the season, we missed the boat in the Coupe de France, there were quite a few disappointments… Tonight everything came together to make it a great evening and I felt the crowd was hot from the start and we shouldn't miss it. I am very happy with the result, the performance. Now, we will continue with this match at Saint-Raphaël in the championship, so tonight we are not European champions, we have qualified for the quarters.