PSG Handball Eliminated from Champions League in Shocking Upset
Paris Saint-Germain's exit marks a significant low in their recent European campaign.
Paris, April 3, 2025 – PSG Handball has been eliminated from the Champions League following a significant defeat at home to Hungarian side Szeged, losing 35-25 in the second leg of the knockout stage after narrowly winning the first leg 31-30 in Hungary.
This marks the first time since Qatar Sports Investments took over in 2011 that the team has exited the tournament before the quarter-finals.
The defeat is particularly notable for PSG, as the club has consistently reached the top eight of European handball since the 2013-2014 season.
However, in recent years, they have struggled to keep pace with the elite teams in European handball.
Their elimination comes after a disappointing quarter-final result in the previous season where they were defeated by FC Barcelona with scores of 30-22 and 32-31.
Head coach Raul Gonzalez, who took charge in 2018, is set to be replaced by Danish coach Stefan Madsen next season.
Despite being champions of France since 2015, PSG has encountered several issues in this Champions League campaign, culminating in four home defeats this season, including losses to Plock (31-28), Berlin (37-34), and Vezsprem (37-33).
The team also faced a heavy defeat against Szeged in Hungary, losing 41-28, which matches their worst loss in the QSI era.
This poor performance allowed them to finish outside the top two in their group, forcing them into the knockout rounds.
In the decisive match at the Coubertin arena, PSG struggled to adapt after a closely contested start, with the score at 8-6 after 16 minutes.
Szeged's physical play on defense proved challenging for PSG, particularly with the absence of Mathieu Grébil due to injury.
On the attack, pivot Kamil Syprzak was unable to assert his influence, despite a commendable shooting percentage of 80%.
The goalkeeping performance was below expectations as Jannick Green and Andreas Palicka combined to save only 10 out of 45 shots faced, compared to Szeged's goalkeepers, who excelled, particularly Roland Mikler with 15 saves from 40 attempts.
By half-time, PSG found themselves down by six goals (17-11).
Despite strategic adjustments from Gonzalez, including shifts in defensive setups and attempts to utilize numerical advantages, the bench proved to be insufficient in providing support.
For instance, Ruben Marchan came on as a pivot but failed to score.
PSG had a momentary chance to narrow the deficit to five goals midway through the second half, but this opportunity was squandered, and Szeged quickly capitalized by scoring two goals in succession, effectively extinguishing PSG's hopes of a comeback at 25-17 in the 44th minute.
This marks the first time since Qatar Sports Investments took over in 2011 that the team has exited the tournament before the quarter-finals.
The defeat is particularly notable for PSG, as the club has consistently reached the top eight of European handball since the 2013-2014 season.
However, in recent years, they have struggled to keep pace with the elite teams in European handball.
Their elimination comes after a disappointing quarter-final result in the previous season where they were defeated by FC Barcelona with scores of 30-22 and 32-31.
Head coach Raul Gonzalez, who took charge in 2018, is set to be replaced by Danish coach Stefan Madsen next season.
Despite being champions of France since 2015, PSG has encountered several issues in this Champions League campaign, culminating in four home defeats this season, including losses to Plock (31-28), Berlin (37-34), and Vezsprem (37-33).
The team also faced a heavy defeat against Szeged in Hungary, losing 41-28, which matches their worst loss in the QSI era.
This poor performance allowed them to finish outside the top two in their group, forcing them into the knockout rounds.
In the decisive match at the Coubertin arena, PSG struggled to adapt after a closely contested start, with the score at 8-6 after 16 minutes.
Szeged's physical play on defense proved challenging for PSG, particularly with the absence of Mathieu Grébil due to injury.
On the attack, pivot Kamil Syprzak was unable to assert his influence, despite a commendable shooting percentage of 80%.
The goalkeeping performance was below expectations as Jannick Green and Andreas Palicka combined to save only 10 out of 45 shots faced, compared to Szeged's goalkeepers, who excelled, particularly Roland Mikler with 15 saves from 40 attempts.
By half-time, PSG found themselves down by six goals (17-11).
Despite strategic adjustments from Gonzalez, including shifts in defensive setups and attempts to utilize numerical advantages, the bench proved to be insufficient in providing support.
For instance, Ruben Marchan came on as a pivot but failed to score.
PSG had a momentary chance to narrow the deficit to five goals midway through the second half, but this opportunity was squandered, and Szeged quickly capitalized by scoring two goals in succession, effectively extinguishing PSG's hopes of a comeback at 25-17 in the 44th minute.
