This first place sends the Blues in the table part of Sweden, reigning European champion and potential opponent in the semi-finals in Stockholm.

Before thinking about the last four, they will have to defeat Germany or Norway in the quarter-finals on Wednesday in Gdansk (Poland), opposed on Monday.

If they said they wanted to calibrate themselves, before this double or quits match, against one of the best teams in the world (current European vice-champion) and of a level not yet encountered since the start of the competition , it is not certain that they can draw many lessons from this match played for a long time at a very calm tempo between two teams that have already qualified.

Spain started it with its second team, except for the presence of captain Gedeon Guardiola, while Guillaume Gille aligned his standard team minus Nikola Karabatic, spared like Friday against Iran (41-29) because touched in the left foot.

The coach of the Blues, on the other hand, recorded the return of his right-back Dika Mem, who only played the opening match against Poland (26-24) before injuring his abdominals.

The FC Barcelona player (4 goals out of 6 attempts) seems fully recovered: he scored the first goal of the game after beating a Spanish defender on a change of outside-inside support.

French right-back Dika Mem (D) shoots on goal against Spain at the World Handball Championship on January 22, 2023 in Krakow © JANEK SKARZYNSKI / AFP

He was able to regain some rhythm, after 10 days without playing, in view of the quarter-final.

If the Blues started with their standard team, Gille then made his first almost complete rotation (only Nedim Remili remained) before the 20th minute.

Prandi wounded

A sign that this game was played at a slow trot for a long time, it was thus necessary to wait until the very end of the first period, a few seconds before the siren, for the first temporary exclusion to occur.

© JANEK SKARZYNSKI / AFP

And again, it was not pronounced for an excessive commitment in defense, but because Miguel Sanchez Migallon aimed for the head of the goalkeeper of the Blues Vincent Gérard.

The second ?

A bad change from Jorge Maqueda (37:52)...

The French did not put on the defensive intensity of a cleaver match for a long time, made a few poor passing choices and sometimes showed clumsiness in shooting (0/3 for Yannis Lenne on his right wing) which can be attributed to a certain lack of concentration.

But, in front of some 80 French supporters who came to put some atmosphere in the icy Tauron Arena (15,000 seats), two-thirds empty, they did not let go when they were led by three goals at the start of the second period. (16-19, 38th).

They gradually caught up to go back in front just over 10 minutes from the end (24-23, 49th) after a goal from Elohim Prandi, who twisted his left ankle on his own at the very end of the match.

This was more worthy of a clash between leaders, and Gille's cry of rage when Nicolas Tournat gave the Blues a three-goal lead (27-24, 55th), or Gérard's clenched fist when he stopping Kauldi Odriozola's shot to maintain this gap (58th) proves that the reigning Olympic champions did not intend their winning momentum to be so easily interrupted before the cutthroat matches.

Where the real competition begins.

© 2023 AFP