Montpellier won the first leg 39–30. Much thanks to a huge performance from the wing duo Lucas Pellas and Yanis Lenne. The away team, Kiel, never had a chance.
After a tough Bundesliga season for Kiel, the Champions League was their final hope for a successful year. But in the first leg of the quarter-finals Kiel had a tough night in France.
– We are very disappointed. Tonight was our most important Champions League match of the season. It’s a very hard defeat to swallow, said Kiels coach, Filip Jicha, during the press conference after the game.
Kiel started the game well and had the lead after six minutes played. But for the remainder of the game, the Frenchmen were in charge.
Even though Marko Panic received a red card after 15 minutes, nothing could stop Montpellier tonight.
– It won’t surprise you to say that I’m satisfied. We finished with the biggest gap of the match, said Montpellier coach Patrice Canayer.
Kiel had huge problems defensively, and Montpellier scored in all possible ways. And even though the Germans scored 30 times, Desbonnet had a lot of fun in the Montpellier goal, ending the game with a 35 percent save rate.
The next game will be played next Thursday, and Montpellier now has everything in their hands.
– It’s only the first half of the quarter-final. I hope we will have a magical night. in Kiel. We need a little miracle to get through, said Jicha about the next leg.