Trondheim (Norway) (AFP)
The French handball players put a little balm on their wounds by leaving the Euro on a victory against Bosnia in a last match without stake, 31 to 23, Tuesday in Trondheim, Norway.
The Blues had lost any chance of qualifying for the main round by losing to Portugal and Norway, like their opponents of the day.
"We tried to be serious despite the huge disappointment and to show a better image. We wanted to end on a somewhat positive note and have a little fun on the field," said Adrien Dipanda.
The French had a hard time entering the match (1-4) then, with most of the time the young generation on the ground, Dika Mem, Romain Lagarde, Ludovic Fabregas, they easily made the difference.
"The first half was complicated because psychologically getting back into it when we had nothing to play was hard. In the second, it was much better. We tightened the defense well, we is a little more fun in attack, "said Valentin Porte, top scorer with 7 goals.
The players will spend a day together at the Maison du handball in Créteil before returning to their clubs. The staff will have to start thinking very quickly for the Olympic qualification tournament, from April 16 to 19 in Bercy.
"We are less emotional but we are still there a bit. We will have to be in another environment. We have planned to regroup in Paris so as not to say goodbye at the airport like savages. We have things to say to each other, we must be able to hear them, "said coach Didier Dinart.
Michaël Guigou, who was playing his last Euro at 37, made no secret of the fact that he was leaving Norway with "a feeling of waste". But this failure did not destroy his confidence in the future. "We will be in France, we will be at home. We have quality and we will be able to find the resources necessary to go (to Tokyo)".
© 2020 AFP