Paris overcome bad start to take points in Porto

GROUP A

FC Porto (POR) vs Paris Saint-Germain HB (FRA) 33:35 (17:16)

• the hosts probably delivered their best 30 minutes of handball of the Champions League season in the first half, taking a maximum advantage of five goals after 10 minutes
• Jannick Green’s arrival between the Paris posts levelled things out, as Porto struggled to find solutions offensively. The visitors even briefly took the lead a few minutes before the break, thanks to Elohim Prandi
• it only took four minutes for Paris to make the game theirs. A 4:0 series put the French side on top, with Dainis Kristopans and Kamil Syprzak playing a key role for their team
• despite Victor Iturriza scoring goals, the hosts were never able to come back closer than two goals
• Syprzak netted nine times for Paris, once more than Victor Iturriza scored for Porto
• thanks to this win, Paris are certain to remain on top of the group after round 9. Porto remain last, with only one point

Dainis Kristopans plays a key role

When, in the beginning of the season, it was announced that Paris would not be signing a replacement for injured Dominik Mathé, some wondered whether Dainis Kristopans could hold the right-back position on his own.

Week after week, the Latvian giant proves that he can, and that he can do it in style. Tonight, he scored six, playing 60 minutes, but he also was the moving force for Paris when the French side took the momentum in the middle of the second half. Impressive.