03.02.2009, 12:00
World Champions focus on CL

Narcisse, Joli and Barachet celebrate, but next week they will be playing for the Quarterfinals of Chambery.

World Champions focus on CL

France took the gold medals at the World Championship in Croatia over the weekend, which was reason enough for the players to celebrate. However, that’s life in handball does not stop and the Champions League is coming up for Chambery.

The French club reached the Main Round with four points. They will play against Rhein Neckar Löwen and Zagreb (with also Celje in their group) for a place in the quarterfinals. The French have four points already, so the key to the qualification will be winning the home games.

The three Chambery players of the French national team, Daniel Narcisse, Guillaume Joli and Xavier Barachet, are probably still celebrating somewhere. However Narcisse, the greatest weapon of Chambery in the fight for the Quarterfinals, already talks about the Champions League. He knows that it will not be an easy task:

“We receive no gifts at this stage of the competition; there are no bad teams any more. The best news for us is that we can continue in the Main Round among the best 16 clubs of Europe. It is very important for the development of the club and we excited to play even right now.”

Chambery have four points, but Narcisse does not want to look back on the past:

“We cannot keep thinking about these four points. All cards are in our hands and now we must show what we are able to do. We began well in Celje and we have to keep on playing on a high level. We must be strong in defence once again and show our strengths that took us so far. We will have to be very concentrated in order to repeat the good results from the beginning of the season. I think we can beat our opponents at home,” Narcisse said.

Chambery will play the first game in the Champions League in Zagreb on 14 February.

For Daniel Narcisse, Guillaume Joli and Xavier Barachet it will be the return to the city where France received the World Championship trophy. The match will have special significance for Narcisse&Co.

TEXT: Fernando Urra Goni