Quiet like the France team. Les Bleues easily won Saturday, November 5 against North Macedonia (24-14) for their first match of the preliminary round of the Women’s Handball Euro. Not always very inspired in attack, the French have on the contrary built their success in defense, in particular thanks to their goalkeeper Cléopatre Darleux, imperial in her cages (nine saves on fourteen shots) and elected player of the meeting.
Reigning Olympic champions, Les Bleues started this Euro with a new status, and a goal, “to go to the semi-finals”, as announced before the competition Estelle Nze Minko, the captain of the France team. Coach Olivier Krumbholz’s players are among the favourites, having been on the podium in the last three continental meetings (bronze in 2016, gold in 2018 and silver in 2020).
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Before thinking about a possible last four, the French have in any case taken the competition by the right end, and this, from the first minutes of their opening match. Despite the support of their public at the Boris-Trajkovski sports center in Skopje (the competition takes place in North Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia), the Macedonians took nearly sixteen minutes to score a first goal for Cléopatre Darleux.
Already launched towards the main round
Les Bleues had already taken off with five goals, a gap which continued to swell over the minutes (12-5 at halftime). Olivier Krumbholz quickly had the opportunity to make changes in his team, and to rest his holders before the next deadlines. Proof of this is that ten French players scored at least one goal during the match.
“There was a very good defense on our side, and good counter-attacks afterwards, underlined the French coach at the microphone of BeIN Sports after the final whistle. The basis is there. We did the essentials, even if we never really broke free in attack. »
This success allows the Bleues to already take a big step towards qualification for the main round of the Euro, the first three teams in each group obtaining their ticket for the rest. Next meeting for Estelle Nze Minko and her teammates Monday, November 7, against Romania. Les Bleues will complete the first phase of the competition two days later, against the Netherlands.