After a controlled second period, the French team dominated Sweden (31-26) and qualified for the semi-finals of the world championship where they will challenge Denmark.
22:35 – Thank you and see you on Friday
Thank you to everyone for following us for this quarter-final between France and Sweden. Victorious, the Habs meet on Friday for the semi-final against Denmark.
22:30 – France invites itself in the last square
The explosion of joy from the French bench and all of the French players clearly shows the intensity and the harshness of the fight they fought for an hour. An almost ecstatic joy that comes to greet a new high-level performance from a collective that never ceases to impress with its defensive compactness and its esprit de corps. The proof is this second capital period delivered by Béatrice Edwige and her teammates where they will have shattered Swedish dreams. As at the 2017 World Cup and the Olympic Games last summer. This time, the Blue will go there with the manner and the authority of the champions that they have become.
Held in check at the break, after a disputed first act which saw the two teams surrender blow for blow, the Olympic champions raised the tone after returning from the locker room. As often, it is in defense that it began with a new aggressiveness which disorganized the Swedish mechanics. Passed to 7, leaving the goalkeeper to create the surplus, the Swedes collided with a wall and ended up exploding, losing too many balloons in the face of the ferocity and the tricolor activity. Following a two-minute suspension from Nze Minko, the Habs hardened their tone. Would follow 8 minutes without scoring for the Swedes between a goal of Flippes and another symbol of Darleux, which punished the whole for the opposing attack. Symbol of the success of his team in the first period with 8 goals, Hagman had disappeared from the discussions then, finally muzzled. Beyond its defense, France imposed itself by its capacity to exploit the spaces and to create oneself with the image of the starts of Nocandy, the distant shots of Kanor or the inspirations of Zaadi sometimes with the pass for spread on the wings or this goal after a feint in the back which allowed him to mystify the opposing defense.
Solid, inspired, generous, rigorous and carried by its collective, France qualifies logically for the semi-finals. A stadium where she blossoms not to have lost there since 2006. Denmark is warned, the Olympic champions are mounting the pressure and will not do anything to reach the final and claim the right to play a new title.
22:15 – “We were really very good”
“That was the scenario for which we were prepared. Before the game, I asked the girls to be in our bubble. Defensively, we were really good. Even if we took fifteen goals in the first period, which is rare, but against a Swedish team, it’s pretty normal, we were really very good. We are all concerned “, appreciated Béatrice Edwige, captain of the French defense and proud of the performance of her teammates.
22:08 – “Defensively, we had a blast”
“It was pure happiness to play this match especially in the second half because I felt a lot of pleasure in defense. They tried to play 7 against 6 and we managed to close, to annoy them , to raise the balloons, to score. Frankly, defensively, we had a great time. Afterwards, in attack, we were fluid, lucid. We had very few air holes. If we can do even better in two days (against Denmark, I take “, responded Grace Zaadi after qualifying for the semi-finals.
22:04 – Place in Denmark
Thanks to their victory against Sweden, France qualifies for the semi-finals of the World Cup. This is his 6th half since 1999 and it will be against Denmark. The two teams have not experienced defeat since the start of the competition.
22:03 – “A Nordic weekend”
“It’s Nordic weekend maybe. We just released Sweden, we have Denmark and if we ever beat Denmark, it’s still likely I hope my Spanish friends don’t mind. but it’s possible that there is Norway. For now, we’re going to focus on Denmark. We’re in the half and we like being there. “, had fun Olivier Krumbholz who intends to play bad tricks on the Scandinavian nations at the end of the world championship.
22:00 – “We did some great things”
“Very happy. We were very solid, especially in the second half. It was very difficult to play because they played seven against six. There are spaces, we can not cover everything but we held the shock. We had the balls, we were patient in attack. We did good things, found a lot of solutions. I think we didn’t lose a lot of balls. We were rather domineering in this second half-time. Cléo (Cléopâtre Darleux, editor’s note) was present. I believe that the defense was very good despite the circumstances. In attack, we saw French women taking charge. Plus 5 against Sweden … + 1, I signed immediately “, said Olivier Krumbholz, relieved and happy, after the victory of the France team against Sweden (31-26).
21:57 – France in the semi-final!
It was over at Granollers with a last missed shot from Foppa. Whatever, the French bench explodes and invades the ground. After a stifling quarter-final at first and then more controlled, the France team gets rid of Sweden (31-26) and goes to the semi-final of the world championship.
Huge victory for the Blues who got their guts out to win against Sweden. They join the semi-finals where they will face Denmark! ????????????
???????? 31-26 ????????#BlueberryProud #Sheloveshandball # Spain2021 #FRASUE pic.twitter.com/MQJs2LCVjS
– French Handball teams (@FRAHandball) December 15, 2021
21:56 – Valentini, the thief
A market is whistled over the French attack. The Swedes want to play fast but the distant transmission in the diagonal is intercepted by the defensive withdrawal of Valentini. On the next action, the Blue are close to losing the ball but finally, Zaadi throws Nocandy who on one step deposits his opponent, creates a breach and adjusts Ryde (31-26).
21:54 – Foppa forces the door
Served with her back to goal by Zaadi, Foppa cleans up the central sector. Although surrounded by Blohm, she turns around and slips the ball to the left of Ryde and gives back four goals to his own three minutes from the end of the match ((30-26).
21:53 – Excellent Swedish combination
After Ryde’s miracle shutdown, Hagman does wonders. Shifted to her right wing, she feigns the shot with her gaze and serves as the pivot Blohm who only has to score, Darleux having been consumed on the wing.
21:51 – Ryde’s Desperate Return
The French and Darleux recover the ball on the abortive offensive of the Swedes. The goalkeeper tries the double but her ball is short and Ryde manages to stop it in disaster by throwing himself. It is with the tip of the foot behind her that she prevents the French goalkeeper from scoring a second goal.
21:49 – Nocandy accelerates
The Tricolores nibble on the clock and go on attack. The referees end up raising their arms and Nocandy takes care of everything. The rear swivels, accelerates in the closed to the left by obliterating Petern before throwing himself into the open space and deceiving the Swedish goalkeeper.
21:47 – Double the ball losses
The Swedes have lost fourteen balls since the start of the meeting. This is double the French team, which has only seven.
21:46 – Zaadi’s feint
Zaadi manages the pace and accelerates central sector. She takes advantage of a cross, fakes the pass in the back and colds two Swedes to open the way to the goal and beat Ryde (28-24).