Les Bleues in the final after a recital against Sweden

Published on : 16/12/2023 – 09:06

4 mins

The French women’s handball team qualified for the World Cup final after a show of strength against Sweden (37-28), Friday December 15 in Herning, Denmark, and will try to win a third star, 20 years after the first, Sunday against defending champion Norway.

A meeting in the form of revenge for the two nations which have dominated women’s handball for 10 years. For the Blues, beaten in the final of the 2021 World Cup by the Norwegians (29-22), and for the latter, dominated by France last Sunday, in front of their audience in Trondheim at the end of the main round (24-23).

“It will be a completely different match, what happened a week ago does not count, it will be a match between life and death,” said right-back Laura Flippes.

Last Sunday, Olivier Krumbholz’s players signed a benchmark victory and still hope for success against the best nation in the world, also its executioner in the semi-final of Euro-2022 (28-20).

But the French team seems to have progressed over the past year and will present itself on Sunday, to conquer a third world title (after 2003 and 2017), with the confidence accumulated over a flawless course (eight successes), continued by a demonstration Friday against Sweden.

“We promised each other things”

“We suffered from what happened last year. It was hard. We promised each other things, we said we had to work, and here we are back in the final. I am proud of us,” said captain Estelle Nze Minko.

While center-half Grace Zaadi had predicted, on Thursday, a close match “until the last minute”, the Blues made short work of the Swedes, against whom they have not lost for nine years ( ten wins and two draws now).

The game seemed to be over before the 20th minute (13-3, 18th, 19-11 at half-time), despite a Scandinavian close at the start of the second half (20-15), quickly annihilated (26-18, 40th) .

A gap widened thanks to a well-established defense, perfectly managed by Pauletta Foppa and Tamara Horacek, behind whom Laura Glauser delivered a recital.

“We had to impose our rhythm from the start, and not leave them any solutions by trapping them. We made the match easy,” underlined Foppa.

After missing Euro-2022 due to an injury sustained during a difficult sporting and psychological period, Glauser finds the light again during this World Cup, in the absence of the holder Cléopâtre Darleux (concussions).

Laura Glauser “made a great World Cup”

Already sparkling in the quarter-finals against the Czech Republic, Glauser disgusted the Swedes, stopping 80% of their shots during the first twenty minutes (8). She finished with 36% saves (12/33) before giving way at the end of the match to Hatadou Sako.

“She is having a great World Cup. We are happy for her. I have been saying for years that she will be the guardian of the temple in 2024 at the Olympic Games. She takes on a leadership role. She is very strong,” commented Krumbholz.

Special mention also goes to Foppa (5/7), who asserts himself as one of the best pivots in the world, and to Horacek who, in addition to shining in defense and taking penalties, scored a few goals in the game (9/10 in total).

But the Blues shone above all with their collective, oiled in defense to close the doors to the Swedes, reduced to attempting long shots, their star and captain Jamina Roberts in the lead (3/8).

In attack, they found gaps in the Swedish defense on placed attacks, notably Laura Flippes, and once again fed off quick goals which dampened the morale of the Swedes.

And going back, if necessary, that of the French women who, in a room which was gradually emptied of its spectators, were able to clearly hear the twenty supporters starting, a few minutes before the end, a Marseillaise to celebrate the qualification, before celebrate it with them.

With AFP