Axel May, edited by Alexandre Dalifard
modified to
06:44, January 20, 2023
France faces Iran this Friday at 6 p.m. in Krakow, in its second match of the main round of the Handball World Cup. The Blues start as big favorites and a victory could mark their presence in the quarter-finals. Even if they refuse to project themselves there already.
After winning their first match of the main round against Montenegro, France are playing their second match this Friday, in Krakow, against Iran. A new victory should send Guillaume Gilles’ team to the quarter-finals even before the end of this main round of the Handball World Cup and the match against Spain, scheduled for Sunday.
If the celebrations are at hand, on the microphone, no player or staff member will say that the qualification for the quarter-finals is already acquired. Because of course you have to beat the Iranians first. Except that this team offers a level of play much lower than that of the Olympic champions.
Avoiding “malpractice” in the face of Iran
For goalkeeper Vincent Gérard, “we have no room for error against Iran”. “It would be a professional fault not to make this match easy, because they have good players, they also have shooters, and you have to respect them. […] We have to beat Iran and then we’ll see if we qualify.”
In fact, for the Blues not to qualify this Friday evening, it would take a lot of unfavorable circumstances. Jean-Paul is a loyal supporter he met in the streets of Krakow: “I think there is a bit of intox in their statements. We have followed them since the start of the competition. They are gaining momentum. They are better and better. We are very confident for the future”. This supporter is also so confident that he has already booked his tickets until the final of the Handball World Cup.