No medals for the Blues in this Euro! The French men’s handball team, Olympic champions in Tokyo in August 2021, finished fourth in the Euro in Budapest on Sunday January 30, falling ahead of Denmark (35-32) after extra time in the “little final” .
The Habs had started this meeting perfectly by leading by three goals (12-9) then one at the break (14-13). But, on returning from the locker room, Denmark began to widen the gap (22-19).
The Blues, who had managed to pick up at the end of regulation time (29-29) thanks to a good defense from Karl Konan, then failed against the Danes deprived of Mikkel Hansen but led by their goalkeeper Niklas Landin and by Jacob Holm.
Despite an excellent Vincent Gérard in the cages (17 saves) and the precious return of Kentin Mahé, absent for eight days due to contamination with SARS-CoV-2, the French failed to win a sixth medal in European competition. Denmark, who definitely took the upper hand in extra time, won the bronze.
Bitter taste
The chocolate-colored medal of the French has a very bitter taste. By finishing fourth in the Euro Sunday in Budapest, the Blues were offered by the organization a charm that does not console many people. “That one, in my opinion, there aren’t many who will keep it”, admits Valentin Porte, a little offended, who wonders “Since when do we give a medal to the fourth? “.
“What can we regret apart from having lost? We gave everything and I’m proud of this group, proud of this team., bounces the player. As the 2023 World Cup (Poland and Sweden) and the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 are soon looming, the Blues will also be able to be satisfied with the good integration of their young shooters like Karl Konan, Aymeric Minne, or Yanis Lenne who were living their great first competition in A, with executives Nikola Karabatic and Vincent Gérard.
“This group has lived well. And with the return of the inseparable like Luka (Karabatic) or Nedim (Remili), if we manage to stay healthy and work together, the future can be nice., concluded Kentin Mahé, with a touch of optimism.
Sweden, which had eliminated France in the semi-finals, was crowned on its side after its victory against Spain, double defending champion (27-26).