Martin Lange, edited by Philippe Folgado // Photo credit: Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP
A handball classic in the Euro semi-final. The Blues are only two games away from a new European coronation. But a major adversary stands in their way. The French team faces Sweden, the defending champion, this afternoon. Swedes that Guillaume Gille’s men know by heart.
A great classic of world handball as the semi-final of the Euro. The French team faces Sweden, the defending champion, this afternoon. All French players have at least one meeting with the Swedes in mind. Nikola Karabatic, 39, the oldest of this team, has played so many times that he loses his memory.
“In the semi-final, the opponent is top level”
“First memory of France-Sweden? World championship final in 2001, I was sitting in my living room and watching France win. The quarter-final of the world championships in 2017 too.” A journalist also reminded him of the victorious final of the London Olympic Games in 2012, he said: “It’s true, I had forgotten that match”.
For four years, the two teams have become accustomed to meeting at this stage of the competition. In the semi-final, for the moment, it is the Swedes who dominate with two qualifications in the final to one for the Blues. But last year, during the World Cup, Nikola Karabatic’s teammates won in Sweden. So, is there a psychological advantage for the French? Not really, according to the French star.
“We are happy to be in the semi-final. We know that in any case, when we arrive in the semi-final of a major competition, a Euro, a World Cup or the Olympics, the opponent is “It’s top level.” In addition, this time, the Swedes can count on their playing master, Jim Gottfridson, injured last year. They dream of retaining their title and depriving the Blues of a first European title in ten years.