The French handball team was crowned European champion by winning against Denmark (33-31) in the final of the European championship, this January 28 in Cologne. The Blues won the fourth continental coronation in their history after a ten-year wait.
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Was a group born during this 2024 European Championship? At the end of a match which almost eluded it for a long time, the French team finally overcame Denmark by winning at the end of extra time (33-31) in the final of the European Championship in Cologne.
It was the remake of the World Championship final lost last year. But the Danes, far from being arrogant and coming to look for the Blues higher than usual on the ground, showed from the start that they did not underestimate the quality of the French distance shots, with clients like Dika Mem or Nedim Remili to name a few. But it was above all Emil Nielsen, the Danish goalkeeper, who proved to be the main obstacle in the first half for the French players.
If Guillaume Gille’s men started the match on a very good basis, they quickly came up against the Dane, imperious in his cage. Real poison, the goalkeeper tormented the French by making no less than five saves in the first 12 minutes. Neck and neck with their opponents since the start of the match, the Blues began to lose the thread of their match by receiving two temporary exclusions almost in quick succession, first on Fabregas then on Dika Mem after a defense deemed too rough by the referee.
The French were fortunately able to count on Dylan Nahi (5-4, 10th), very good at finishing, to stay afloat and prevent the Danes from getting too far ahead at the moment when the meeting seemed to be turning in their favor. But with 80% shooting success for the Danes compared to only 43% for the French halfway through the first act, that would soon no longer be enough. The striking power of Elohim Prandi, well served after an interception by Quentin Mahé, wreaked havoc to pick up the score, before Remili immediately gave the Blues the lead (11-10, 25th).
But Denmark did not hesitate to draw its weapon: Mikkel Hansen, surgical, who equalized with a throw from seven meters (14-14, 28th). The former PSG man even tried to give the Danes the lead before the break, but the two teams remained neck and neck after the blue wall blocked his shot.
The Blues survived in the second half
The French took time to get going again in the second half, with a lack of offensive realism which suggested the worst for the end of the match. Especially since Nielsen was still as impregnable in his goal against the French shots and a surgical Mathias Gidsel (14-17, 35th). The crossing of the desert lasted six long minutes for the Blues, before Ludovic Fabregas sounded the revolt (15-17, 36th).
Struggling with the pace imposed by the Danes and without any real offensive creativity, like Dika Mem completely defeated in the match, the Blues did not give in and once again relied on Fabregas who is came to clean the skylight before the last quarter of an hour (19-20, 45th). After a save from Bellahcene at the ideal time, the French ended up getting back on track with a cannon shot from Prandi (24-24, 53rd). In the process, Pytlick missed his opportunity even though he had been successful until then. Had the Blues finally instilled doubt in Danish minds?
In the last five minutes, the Danes tried everything with a tactical move which placed them in numerical superiority, but without a goalkeeper in their goal. Their stratagem initially worked as planned with space created for Mikkel Hansen who perfectly found the top corner (25-26, 56th). But facing the Danish defense, Fabregas managed to obtain a two-minute exclusion on his Danish opponent to give hope to the French. Leading by a small goal one minute from the end of the match (26-27, 59th), the Danes saw France equalize on the gong thanks to an omnipresent Fabregas and send the two teams into overtime (27-27, 60th).
Prandi and Mem decisive in overtime
This time, the Blues did not intend to miss their chance against the Danes. Prandi announced the color by going to fix the defense and free the axis for Remili, who smashed the opposing goal (28-28, 61st). The Blues’ defense did not give up despite the Danish double pivot, and they ended up being rewarded with a ball returned by the referee for a refusal of play.
Despite a very advanced defense from the Danes, Fabregas stood out again by equalizing just before the last five minutes (29-29, 65th). Dika Mem finally entered the match by scoring her first goal after five failed shots in this final to put France in front (30-29, 66th). Everything seemed to be aligning for the Blues, who saw Bellahcene stop a long-range shot from Mikkel Hansen with his right hand in stride.
Really coming back into the match, Dika Mem then found the goal with a shot over the wall (31-29, 67th). Already France’s savior in the semi-final, Elohim Prandi allowed the Blues to breathe with an unstoppable shot under the bar (32-30, 70th) which put an end to Danish hopes. Despite two poorly negotiated starts, the French never gave up and finally won their fourth continental title (2006, 2010, 2014 and 2024) after ten years of waiting. For the first time in their history, French handball players are titled during an Olympic year, just a few months before the Olympics organized in Paris.