At the end of an uncertain meeting until the end, where it was often struggling in attack, the French women’s handball team beat Serbia (22-19), Saturday, December 11, for their second match of the main round of the Spanish World Cup. She thus qualified for the quarter-finals of the competition. Monday, December 13th game against Russia will only serve to determine first place in the group.
In line with their previous matches, the Bleues entered the game well, with an iron defense and rapid counter-attacks, led by excellent Grace Zaadi. But, after a quarter of an hour, the machine stopped. In the last quarter of an hour of the first half, France went through a big air hole, conceding a severe 6-0.
Serbian goalkeeper Jovana Risovic stepped up the parades and reduced the French attackers to powerlessness. Pivotal Marija Petrovic and full-back Jovana Stoiljkovic made the gunpowder talk from a distance, and when stuck in the middle, the Serbian wingers managed to score through mouse holes on the sides, despite a new performance. XXL of the French goalkeeper, Laura Glauser.
After the break, however, the Habs regained control of the game, scoring four goals in a row and returning to the front of the scoreboard. But the Serbs were going to sell their skin dearly and a new numerical inferiority, following a fault by Chloe Valentini, allowed them to pick up the score. The result was a mano to mano, and the match grew in intensity over the minutes.
The France team seemed able to gain the upper hand, but the blue strikers often stumbled against a Jovana Risovic of the great evenings in the Serbian cages. The players surrendered blow for blow, and the atmosphere became unbreathable in the Sports Palace of Granollers, where the French supporters gave voice. Ten minutes from the end, the tie was perfect (17-17) and total uncertainty.
4 minutes from the final whistle, a goal against Méline Nocandy allowed France to get back in front of the score (19-18). A superb save by goalkeeper Cléopâtre Darleux on a 7-meter throw, then a shot on goal transformed by Grâce Zaadi, finally allowed the French to break away (20-18) three minutes from the end.
Revenge of the Olympic Games final
Les Bleues coach Olivier Krumbholtz asked for a time-out at 1 minute 25 from the end. In the process, a goal from pivot Pauletta Foppa, one minute from the end, allowed the French to drive home the point. A “pastis” (a stop without releasing the ball) of Cleopatra Darleux 20 seconds from the end definitively sealed the outcome of the meeting. The France team finally won 22 to 19, at the end of the suspense.
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