He was also on the scoresheet in the semi-final against Sweden (31-26) but had not played a single minute.
Thibaud Briet, injured in the right hand, was again left in the stands, along with third goalkeeper Charles Bolzinger.
Karabatic, who is playing his tenth and last World Cup at 38, returned to the quarter-finals against Germany (35-28) from an absence of two matches but returned to the bench after twenty minutes, his foot still painful. .
In the event of victory for France, the left-back or center-half would become the most successful handball player in history in the selection of all countries combined, with eleven trophies, surpassing his compatriots Thierry Omeyer and Mickaël Guigou by one unit.
© 2023 AFP