PSG scrape past brave Meshkov Brest

Only a fantastic performance by Montenegrin right wing Fahrudin Melic and a stroke of luck in the final few seconds ensured PSG’s perfect record remained intact as the French giants overcame a valiant Brest by the skin of their teeth in a rip-roaring contest in Belarus.

The result left PSG in the driving seat of their group with four wins out of four and a maximum eight points, two ahead of THW Kiel who hit top gear in Saturday’s demolition of Metalurg.

The frontrunners will face each other in November after the international break and judging by their current form, their meeting will in all likelihood live up to the old but worthy clash-of-the-titans cliché.  

VELUX EHF Champions League Group A

Meshkov Brest (BLR) vs Paris Saint-Germain Handball (FRA) 28:29 (12:15)

Having already lost to THW Kiel by the narrowest of margins on home court, Meshkov suffered another heart-breaking defeat against top quality opposition but were again treated to a standing ovation by an appreciative home crowd who roared them on from start to finish.

The dramatic finale was decided by an ingenious piece of skill from PSG’s Montenegrin winger Fahrudin Melic, who scored the winner with a viciously swerving flicked shot from the right flank before Ljubo Vukic’s attempt cannoned off the crossbar at the other end.

It seemed PSG would stroll to another emphatic win after Melic’s unstoppable runs and Mikkel Hansen’s devastating long-range shots gave the visitors a 12:7 lead in the closing stages of the first half, but the stubborn home side had other ideas.

Brest first scored three goals without reply to haul themselves back into the match and then launched a fierce second-half onslaught as their robust Serbian pivot Rastko Stojkovic powered through the French team’s defence almost at will.

Two successive goals by Dzmitry Nikulenkau gave Meshkov their first lead of the game (25:24) with about five minutes left on the clock and roared on by their passionate fans, they kept nosing ahead until the final 90 seconds when one of their players picked up a costly two-minute suspension.

A team of PSG’s stature and experience duly capitalised on their numerical advantage as Hansen drew level before Melic struck the final blow, while the woodwork denied the unlucky Vukic a deserved equaliser with time running out.

The outstanding Melic led all scorers with a game-high 10 goals while Stojkovic topped Meshkov’s chart with seven.