HBC Nantes took the bid for first place all the way. But Paris Saint-Germain reigned supreme after a high-paced game, 39–36 against Pauc. Nearly 15 000 spectators got to celebrate Nikola Karabatic´s last actions in a club jersey, after 22 magnificent years.
L´Equipe reports a star-studded line-up, even on the stands for Karabatic´s final show. The tennis player Novak Djokovic, triple olympic athlete medalist Marie-José Perec and previous handball players such as Luc Abalo joined in for the exciting evening.
Karabatic started on the bench, appeared on the court after 17 minutes and scored once with a bit more than twelve minutes on playing time. Obviously the stats didn’t matter as much as the teammates fought on.
Twelve goals from Kamil Syprzak and nine from Karabatic´s position colleague Elohim Prandi took care of the business, PSG had the upper hand in the last 45 minutes and won by three goals.
The capital club has won ten championships in a row, Karabatic stops at 22 championships title, with an opening to play for France in the Paris olympics in a few monhs.
– We are happy and above all relieved, because it has been a very long season, where we have been through all the stages. We had a lead (six points), then we lost against Nîmes at home and we still have to fight this evening against Aix to win and be champions.
– Everything was not perfect. I tried to stay focused, not to let the emotions invade me before the end because we first had to bring home the title, that’s what mattered the most. All day long, I received a lot of messages of support and thanks, which warmed my heart. I tried to bring it all down. Now, I know that the emotions will return, we will be able to celebrate and achieve, he said to L´Equipe.
Paris Saint-Germain–Pauc 39–36 (21–19)