The French handball players were crowned European champions for the fourth time by defeating Denmark (33-31) after extra time in the Euro final in Cologne on Sunday January 28, ten years after their last continental title.

Six months before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Nikola Karabatic's gang takes their revenge for the 2023 World Cup won in the final by the Danes.

At almost forty years old, Karabatic will leave his last Euro with an eleventh title to his name and therefore a fourth European crown, ten years after the last.

After a decade of waiting, they were no longer within ten minutes. Guillaume Glle's men therefore went through an overtime, snatched by the same score as in the semi-final against Sweden (27-27).

“We win this Euro, a competition that we haven’t won for ten years,” said Ludovic Fabregas at the microphone of BeIN Sports. “It’s magical (...) We are often behind but never too far behind. We have we knew how to hold on, we knew how to show mentality. The team was able to hold on, and go to overtime. (...) We assumed our responsibilities. It's a team victory."

There were thirty seconds left before the end of regulation time when Ludovic Fabregas turned to whip the net and take his side a little further in this poorly started final.

Another of his wrist shots sent Nikola Karabatic's tape into contact (29-29) at halftime of overtime with the possession to come.

Then Dika Mem, awakened by Nielsen's exit, scored his first goals to propel the Blues to the European title. The last trophy that the generation after the Experts was missing, his and that of Nedim Remili or Ludovic Fabregas, already Olympic (2021) and world (2017) champions.

New generation at the top

These Blues, who are "fed up of being second, third or even fourth" and who came across the Rhine "to win", repeated the voracious Remili, named best player in the competition, have finally climbed the last step.

"It's amazing stuff. I'll remember it all my life. I feel joy, everything. Everything that's been happening for six months, breathes Samir Bellahcene on BeIN Sports, who experienced his first selection there less than a year ago. It's a reward. I hope there will be more."

On the Danish side, their granite goalkeeper Emil Nielsen (15 saves), the impassivity of Mikkel Hansen (9 goals) on penalties and the magic of Mathias Gidsel (8/8) have long made the Blues doubt.

"Fight of the Titans"

But they have never given in, as they have since the start of the Euro, neither to them nor to the vermilion wave covering the Kölnarena, the border being less than six hours by car. As we were reminded all weekend by the numerous “DK” number plates seen in town.

“It’s huge what just happened, it was a fight of madmen, a fight of titans,” says coach Guillaume Gille. “We manage to find resources even though we are mistreated, and we find light in this extension which was stifling."

It was just a matter of time for Nielsen to sound the death knell: the last Danish rampart pushed back the French shooters. Marmoreal wall of this Euro (40% of shots stopped), Emil Nielsen was launched from the start and favored by the Niklas Landin monument, his 272 caps and his two Olympic medals in a profitable bet from coach Nikolaj Jacobsen.

And it is undoubtedly no coincidence that the best blue intervened with the exit of the Barcelonan, who had plunged the Frenchman Dika Mem (0/5) into failure and the entry of Niklas Landin (3 saves, 25 %).

For seven years, they had only won once, certainly the most beautiful title, that of the Tokyo Olympics. The Blues, in the wake of the world champion handball players last month, have returned to the habit of winning at the best time - less than six months before the Paris-2024 Olympics at home - by winning the Euro for the fourth time by overcoming Denmark (33-31), Sunday January 28 in Cologne.

The France 24 summary of the week

invites you to look back at the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 application