Issy reach the final versus Höör

Issy-Paris qualified for their second European final in a row, after beating Mios 25:22. After winning the first leg 31:24, Issy earned the right to face Sweden's Höör in the final.

After a strong start, leading 5:2 after 10 minutes, Mios experienced more difficulties, suffering from too many lost balls. Yet with an excellent Mireya Gonzalez on the right back position, and thanks to numerous saves by Julie Foggea, they managed to go back to the dressing room with a two goals gap (12:10).

In the second half, the game followed the same pattern as the first leg a week ago. Mios, tired and suffering from the lack of player rotations, started to turn the ball over, and Issy piled up with fastbreaks.

The two teams were even at 18:18 just 15 minutes before the end, but like last week Mios stopped playing in the last quarter of the game. Scoring six goals in a row, especially thanks to Stine Oftedal (best scorer of the game with 9 goals) Issy took the game over and created a six goals advantage five minutes before the final buzzer. In a last minute rush, Mios narrowed the gap, but still lost by three units.

After playing the Cup Winners' Cup final last season, Issy will then play the Challenge Cup final. But Arnaud Gandais wanted first and foremost to congratulate their opponents.

"I know it might have turned a different way if Mios didn't suffer so many injuries. But that's the way it goes. I think tonight's game was very similar to last week. We've been a bit floppy in the first half, not taking care of the ball enough and missing too many shots. But we managed to turn things around, because we were fresher physically," he said.

Manu Mayonnade, Mios' coach, is proud of his girls, even though they lost both games.

"There is nothing we have to be ashamed of. We showed them that we could bother them, and like last week, we let the game go only in the last 15 minutes."

Alice Levèque, Mios' captain wanted to thank all the fans that had turned up for the game. "We played in front of 3,000 people, one of the best atmospheres we've seen all year. That's why we kept on fighting until the end. I'm proud of my teammates, even though we had difficult conditions," she said.

Photo: Kevin Domas