“Kiel might be the perfect game for us,” said Montpellier captain Yanis Lenne this week — and his prediction turned out to be correct, as his team showed a completely different face than they did in the first two rounds.

Thanks to the young players, Montpellier led all the way through the game, sitting at the wheel from the first minute to the last without ever letting their opponents even a glimpse of a level game.

GROUP A
Montpellier Handball (FRA) vs THW Kiel (GER) 37:30 (18:14)

• the four-goal deficit that THW Kiel conceded right away kept Montpellier going through the entire match
• with Yanis Lenne and Kyllian Villeminot acting as the detonators, the hosts dominated the first half, heading to the dressing room with the same advantage they had created twenty-five minutes earlier
• the advantage increased to eight goals in the middle of the second half, as Villeminot and Julien Bos scored goal after goal, despite THW coach Filip Jicha trying everything in order to find defensive solutions
• Niclas Ekberg struck nine times, finishing as the top scorer of the game, while Bos recorded a tally of seven
• The Player of the Match was Villeminot, who scored eight for Montpellier and dished two assists

Montpellier count on young power

Kyllian Villeminot, Julien Bos, Karl Wallinius and Arthur Lenne — all are younger than 25, but on Thursday night, it was these Montpellier players who owned the court like they were 10 years older.

Not at all frightened by the prospect of the Match of the Week spotlight, the foursome let their innocence and joy at being part of the event shine through. Right from the get-go, Montpellier scored a 4:0 series to put themselves in the driving seat. And judging by how they celebrated with the fans at the end of the game, they even had some energy left.