VIDEO. MHB – Kiel: “In a match you have the tactics and you have the cojones that you put on the pitch”, “we can enjoy but nothing is done”

Patrice Canayer's MHB was far superior to Kiel. Screenshot via Occitanie

Patrice Canayer and the MHB players could not contain their satisfaction at having largely beaten THW Kiel (39-30) in the quarter-final first leg of the Champions League, Wednesday April 24 at the FDI Stadium.

Valentin porte, captain of the MHB:"There is a lot of pride because we showed lucidity and maturity, in order to stay focused  to gradually widen the gap in the match. Even at the end of the match they come back to seven and we have a crazy last minute, we score them two goals to have a nine goal lead. The plan was a bit crazy but the key word was, whatever we do, do it 100%. Even if not everyone was perfect, some were a little lost but putting in the energy posed a problem.

"Taking 30 goals is not much compared to the speed of play they put in this evening… In the first half we only conceded 16 goals but it was going to 10,000 per hour. In the end we came out well. The second was a little more consistent, we wore them out so they missed a few more shots too. Behind, we were realistic about the rises of the ball.

Being nine goals ahead is not a situation that we have not experienced too much. We can be happy but we have to come down straight away, it's only half-time and in handball we've seen monstrous things. We can enjoy this evening but nothing is done because I think this team will be up and it will be in a hot room."

Yanis Lenne, MHB right winger:"At this stage of the competition, you have the tactics and then you have the cojones what you put on the field and the desire, on this point all those who were on the ground were helpful and that was the only important thing everyone was. We can thank the public who were incredible, we, the players, pleaded to play at Bougnol and it pays off because when it's full, it's magical, it will remain a beautiful memory.

Canayer: "We are going to approach this second round with a lot of humility"

Patrice Canayer, manager of the MHB:"When we finish with the biggest gap of the match we can only be satisfied, it shows that we were focused until the end. We were able to hold on for 60 minutes without losing pace too much. It’s a great satisfaction to see them play a game like that. I am also happy to have played against Kiel, the best club in Europe, my last match in the Champions League at the FDI Stadium.

Filip Licha said it would take a miracle. The problem is that in the Champions League it happens often. We will approach this second round with a lot of humility. It's up to us to take up this challenge, it will be another story. The players responded well on the tactical level compared to what we put in place. Be careful, the truth next Thursday will not be the truth tonight. Tonight, we are still ambitious, perhaps a little less outsiders, we are not favorites either. This team must be wary of others but they are not afraid of anyone. We are at halftime of the match. I have too much experience. I already understood how they were going to prepare for the return match."

Stas Skube, MHB center half: "I thank all the fans for supporting us, it’s probably the best game we have played this season. We won by 9 goals, that's very good but if someone asks me which team in Europe is capable of coming back from 9 goals, I would answer Kiel without hesitation. We're going to go there to try to win. Tonight's match is behind us, Kiel will play differently next week. We will have to be ready because we expect a very difficult match."  

Karl Konan, MHB defender:"I couldn't tell you straight away how we did that (laughs). We started the match a little timidly, we looked at them a little at the start of the match by not being aggressive enough but as the match progressed we increased our intensity in both sectors of the game. We can be proud of what we went to find, everyone made their contribution, everyone took their responsibilities. We didn’hide behind tactics or excuses, we played at our level.

Everyone felt concerned in defense, Rémi behind was enormous, he chaperoned all the work we did. We conceded 30 goals but it’s Kiel and there is always something to erase but as defense boss, I am proud of what we produced.

Nine goals is a lot but I prefer to keep my reservations. It’s a great Kiel team that I respect enormously. Going to Kiel in a venue like that and playing a quarter-final second leg is something. We're going to stay on our guard and we're going to analyze all of this."

Kiel

Samir Bellahcene, goalkeeper of THW Kiel: "It's hard, we'll see there a second match at play. Montpellier played well, it's not over, we'll see. I obviously hoped for better but we will take stock after the return match. I just want to go to the Final Four.

Filip Jícha, coach of THW Kiel: "I am very disappointed. It’s a very tough defeat for us to take. It was the most important match of our season. So it’s very difficult to swallow. We knew what to expect coming here, that there would be pressure. We couldn’t stand this pressure. This is unfortunately quite common in our season.

We played well in attack, but we couldn't score. They put us under pressure with their counterattacks. We are very disappointed, but it’s only the first half. I believe in a magical night in Kiel where our defenders will defend better, our goalkeepers will make more saves and our attackers will score goals. We need a little miracle next week."