The Hérault derby came to an end, Montpellier took great pleasure in crushing Sète

A one-sided derby that could go so far as to be described as butchery. Imperial, destructive and merciless, Montpellier left nothing to his opponent, only the traces of slaps on his pink cheeks like his jersey.

Sète had not yet lost an away match this season, it did so against its enemy brother. A scathing defeat in front of around fifty supporters placed in the south stand of the Palais des Sports in Castelnau-le-Lez, just above the fan club of Montpellier Corentin Phelut. Flags in hand, they never stopped singing in praise of the players of the unique island. This unwavering support was not enough.

It must be said that the people of Montpellier, at this level, are almost impregnable. And since they had two defeats in a row, they were too vengeful to be shaken.

Captain Ezequiel Palacios put more force into his services, Raphaël Corre was more precise with the pass, Nicolas Le Goff jumped even higher on the block. In defense too, Corentin Phelut and his team put all their energy into dropping a minimum of balls to the ground.

Sète too diminished

And, in the absence of Sète passer Danilo Gelinski, a last-minute withdrawal due to illness, and without being able to count on Jesse Elser, his Canadian receiver-attacker, 100%, the step was far too high for the visitors.

As a result, the young Anton Jeppesen, holder of the pass, was overwhelmed and quickly replaced by the equally young Pépin Rajoharivelo (20 years old). But the damage was already done (11-3). Tomas Lopez Pascual and his partners were already crushing their opponent.

Swirling with his protruding mustache, double Olympic champion Nicolas Le Goff showcased his talent in front of the beIN Sports cameras and the 1,300 spectators who had no need to shout despite the regular reminders from Eric Hirschi, the announcer (25 -16).

In the same way, the second set produced almost the same result (25-17). A powerful serve from Ezequiel Palacios left Sétois Hugo De Leon speechless, leaning on the stand and helpless.

The MHSC in steamroller mode

The Arago showed character at the start of the next round. Equipped with a megaphone in the stands, a Sète supporter shouted: “We're not giving up!”, it was too late.

Le Goff placed a counter in the form of a square (14-11), Joris Seddik also participated in the party with two consecutive blocks that the young French international embellished with a little Carlton-style dance in the American series in the 1990s, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

And even when Raphaël Corre sent his serve into the bottom of the net on the first match point, he appeared with a little smirk while being cheerfully challenged by his teammates.

The chalice to the dregs for Sète, the simple happiness of temporarily regaining the lead in the championship for Montpellier. This Saturday evening, the Hérault derby came to an end. And 1h20 exactly.