The Fleury Loiret and Nice teams ended in a draw at the Palais des Sports in Orléans (25-25) during the first leg of the quarter-finals in the Playoffs. The decisive match will take place on Wednesday on the Côte d’Azur, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
Thus, there was no winner following the first clash between FLHB and OGCN, which was held this Saturday at the Palais des Sports in Orléans. Both teams had their periods of domination, but neither managed to tip the scales in their favor ultimately.
The Panthers seemed to have the game well in hand after a controlled first half (15-11 at halftime). Driven by the duo of Lacrabère / De Paula (17 goals in total), Fleury Loiret managed to unsettle the best defense from the regular phase.
However, upon returning from the locker rooms, the Aiglonnes showed more solidity. They were able to rely on an effective performance by Ehsan Abdelmalek (7/8 in shooting) to get back into the game (18-18, 44th minute) and to make Fleury supporters nervous towards the end of the match (24-25, 59th minute).
After a tense end to the match, Fleury managed to equalize with a last-minute goal by Alexandra Lacrabère (25-25), allowing her team to keep all its chances alive before the decisive match on Wednesday in Nice.
