Rémi Desbonnet: “We’ll have to forget the first game against Kiel”

Last Wednesday’s game, which saw the hosts beating THW Kiel by nine (39:30), in the first leg of the Machineseeker EHF Champions League quarter-finals, is another line written in the history of the arena. “The club has had its best moments there and that game was definitely up there with the best of them. The atmosphere was mesmerising, the fans took us and led us to that win. I’m sure that, in a couple of years, the Montpellier fans will remember that game,” says goalkeeper Rémi Desbonnet, before swiftly adding: “If we qualify, that is.”

The French national goalkeeper delivered a stunning performance against the Zebras, stopping 16 shots and leading the way to his teammates. All of that, in front of his family and friends, as he played for Montpellier in his youth before moving to USAM Nîmes for almost ten years. “It was emotional, but this is the kind of games that I like, the ones where there is no choice but to win. I really enjoyed it, it was a crazy night, but now is the time to close the chapter of the first leg and move on to the next one,” adds the 32-year-old.

And if the atmosphere was a boiling one in Montpellier last week, you can count on the White Wall in the Wunderino Arena to push THW Kiel to victory next Thursday. The Machineseeker EHF Champions League has displayed some crazy scenarios over the years, but Rémi Desbonnet does not want Montpellier to be the victim of one of them. “We expect them to deliver a completely different performance than what they did last week. After all, the approach for them is pretty simple: they have to put their foot to the pedal for 60 minutes without thinking too much,” explains the Montpellier HB goalkeeper.

On the other hand, how can the French side prepare for a return leg where, at throw-off time, they will lead by nine on aggregate? “Sure this could open the door to some calculations but, in the meantime, I’d rather be in our position than in theirs right now,” he smiles. “Our state of mind will be pretty simple: come throw-off time, we’ll have to forget about the first leg and the first result. We’ll have to play as if we were level and try to win that second game as well.”

Even if, for now, such an opportunity remains hypothetical - and that he does not want to talk about it - qualifying for his first-ever EHF FINAL4 would be the cherry on Rémi Desbonnet’s cake this season. The French goalkeeper celebrated his first title with France at the EHF EURO 2024, but still remains hungry for titles. “This season has been a learning curve for me, it has been a long time since I have not played that many games in a season, and so many games with a lot at stake as well,” he says. “I feel like I made a huge step forward, but it’s all about the next one. I just don’t want to be content with what I’ve got, I want to keep making progress.”

And making progress would be, of course, to deliver a great performance in the Wunderino Arena on Thursday night to help his team qualify for the TruckScout 24 EHF FINAL4. What would be his perfect result, then? “Honestly? Anything that would get us to Cologne, I would be happy with.” 

And surely his coach Patrice Canayer, who will quit his coaching position in Montpellier after 30 seasons, would agree. Even though the players’ main motivation to qualify for the TruckScout24 EHF FINAL4 has not been related to their coach, making it a farewell would be a nice twist of fate, as Desbonnet concludes: “This is not something we have talked about too much, but we told ourselves at the beginning of the season that for him to say goodbye with a win would be nice, given everything that he brought to the club. Even though now is not the time for emotions, I hope we can offer him one last trip to Cologne.”

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