Two encounters between the clubs that are in the hunt for spots in the playoffs were the most exciting matches of the 17th round of the French League.
Pays d’Aix edged out Douai (9:8). A last-gasp goal decided the match. Montpellier and Noisy-le-Sec shared the points (6:6).
Marseille easily defeated Bordeaux, while Reims upset Tourcoing.
2020/21 French League, Day 17
Pays d’Aix – Douai 9:8 (1:2, 3:0, 0:5, 5:1)
Pays d’Aix: Monneret 5, Dino 2, Popadic 1, Gluhaic 1.
FNC Douai:Spooner 3, Vitrant 2, Bouet 2, Croquet 1.
Montpellier – Noisy-le-Sec 6:6 (2:1, 1:2, 1:2, 2:1)
Montpellier: D.Zivkovic 2, I. Zivkovic 2, Delas 1, Kalinic 1.
Noisy-le-Sec: Marzouki 2, Caumette 1, Bjorch 1, Petkovic 1, V. Rasovic 1.
Reims – Tourcoing 12:9 (4:1, 4:4, 3:2, 1:2)
Stade de Reims: Pesteric 5, Calic 4, De Bie 2, Krivokapic 1.
EN Tourcoing: Rocchietta 2, Krisman 2, Vincourt 1, Randjic 1, Grgurevic 1, Banicevic 1, Kujacic 1.
Bordeaux – Marseille 5:13 (0:6, 1:2, 1:3, 3:2)
Union St-Bruno Bordeaux: Perrin 2, Toth 2, Gadza 1.
CN Marseille: Izdinsky 4, Vernoux 2, Kovacevic 2, Olivon 1, Crousillat 1, Djurdjic 1, Marion-Vernoux 1, Camarasa 1.
Nice – Strasbourg postponed
Sete bye
Both sides had ups and downs in the encounter between Pays d’Aix – Douai. The visitors led 2:1 after the first quarter but Pays d’Aix scored three unanswered goals in the second period and turned around a 1:2 deficit to a 4:2 lead. However, Douai dominated the third period. The visitors produced a 5:0 rush and built a solid 7:4 lead before the final quarter.
A new series of goals by Pays d’Aix started after the last break. The hosts scored four goals in a row and went in front – 8:7 with 01:20 minutes to go. Douai equalized 39 seconds from the end. Aix’s last possession was the culmination of this big drama. Sebastian Monneret fired a shot from a distance, with only 2,3 seconds remaining on the clock. The ball literally pierced the net. The referees didn’t validate the goal at first. After the consultation, the referees and the delegate decided that it was a goal (the ball pierced the net), and Pays d’Aix collected all three points, with a 9:8 victory. Monneret, who scored five goals, was the man of the match.
Montpellier opened the game against Noisy-le-Sec with a 2:0 lead. The Parisians leveled the score early in the second period (2:2). From that point on, the teams were in a neck-and-neck race. The distance between the sides was never larger than a goal. Noisy went in front in the third period (4:3 and 5:4). Still, Montpellier again took the lead in the 27th minute (6:5). In the middle of the quarter, Viktor Rasovic equalized and set the final score – 6:6.
Reims got off to a flying start, which determined the rest of the match Reims -Tourcoing. The hosts, led by Serb Aleksandar Pesteric and Croat Slavko Calic, rushed to a 6:1 lead (10th minute). Tourcoing couldn’t catch up with the rival. Tourcoing reduced the gap to two twice (5:7 and 9:11). Two minutes from the end, Slavko Calic scored his fourth goal for the final score.
Marseille played without Andrija Prlainovic, Dejan Lazovic, Ante Vukicevic, Uros Cuckovic, but easily beat last-placed Bordeaux.
1 Marseille 14 – 42
2 Strasbourg 13 – 30
3 Noisy-le-Sec 13 – 30
4 Montpellier 15 – 24
5 Pays d’Aix 12 – 21
6 Tourcoing 14 – 22
7 Douai 13 – 21
8 Reims 13 – 10
9 Sete 15 – 8
10 Nice 14 – 8
11 Bordeaux 15 – 0
