Euro handball: the Blues start the competition with a card against North Macedonia


Successful start for the Blues. The French handball players played against North Macedonia in Düsseldorf (39-29) on Wednesday in the opening match of the Euro, which they hope to reconquer ten years after their last coronation and six months before the Paris 2024 Olympics. home. Regardless of the railway strike or the roads blocked by agricultural unions in Germany, this first match of French handball players resembled a cruise on the “Autobahn”, in Düsseldorf, city of origin of the Kraftwerk group, music pioneers electronic.

It took just half an hour (16-12, 28th) for the Blues to gain ground. Time to warm up the engine and fill the stands of the Spiel-Arena, a football stadium transformed into a handball hall for the occasion. Time also to adjust to the tactics of Kiril Lazarov, former handball legend scorer and coach of North Macedonia, who often used the option of seven outfield players, without a goalkeeper. Left winger Hugo Descat, without failure against the cages (7/7), largely contributed to this first success, in particular with these two goals on the rise of the ball in the blue highlight which made it possible to overturn the slight Macedonian advantage (of 8-10 to 12-10).

Place in Switzerland

A successful first for the band Nikola Karabatic (1 goal, 4 assists), launched as a scout in the Fortuna grounds in Düsseldorf where the Blues will begin their Euro against Austria on June 17. For the record, Guillaume Gille’s men temporarily held the attendance record for a handball match. While waiting for that of the host country, Germany, against Switzerland the same evening, for which the last empty seats in the stands with a capacity of 53,586 spectators must find takers.

In the absence of Vincent Gérard, usual number 1 goalkeeper, missing due to pubalgia, the coach opted for the Montpellier pair Desbonnet-Bolzinger. To Rémi Desbonnet the first period, finished well (7 saves on 20 shots) after a delicate start (1/8). His young MHB teammate Charles Bolzinger (23) took over after the break (6/22) rather than third goalkeeper Samir Bellahcene who plays in Kiel, Germany.

Winger Yanis Lenne, suffering from lower back pain, and fullback Timothey N’Guessan were the other two players on the list absent from the match sheet. Switzerland now awaits the Blues on Sunday in Berlin for their second group match of this European Championship, the last tournament before the Paris-2024 Olympics for the Olympic title holders.





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