Handball World Cup: against the Blues, an Iranian team in full learning

Europe 1 with AFP 10:03 p.m., January 19, 2023

The French handball team faces Iran on Friday in Krakow (6:00 p.m.) for the first time in its history, an opponent whose modest level nevertheless, almost paradoxically, poses some minor difficulties for the players, with the issue of a potential qualification for the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

The Blues could qualify even before kick-off, if Spain, with whom they share the lead in Group I of the main round (6 pts each), beats just before Slovenia (4 pts), against whom they have the best particular difference in the event of a final tie after beating it in the first round (35-31).

Iran, several tones below the best Asian selection (Qatar), should for its part cause only very slight headaches for the Blues, as for the Slovenians on Wednesday (38-21).

A "great school" for Iranian players

"We are going to start very strong!"

quipped, asked about the upcoming match, Iranian coach Veselin Vujovic.

A former legend of the Yugoslav selection, left-back Olympic champion (1984), world champion (1986) and first to be voted best player on the planet (1988).

No matter the result on Friday: Vujovic and his troops, all of whom are professional players but only one plays abroad, center half Pouya Norouzi at Eintracht Hagen in the German second division, have already succeeded in their World Cup, the second selection (after 2015).

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They indeed won against Chile (25-24) the first pool match in the competition in their history, which allowed them to qualify for the main round.

And to play three additional meetings against high-level opponents, too infrequent confrontations to progress according to Vujovic.

"The Iranian league is at a fairly good level but the players need to play more international matches. With just one a year, it's impossible to do anything!"

he explained, seeing in this World Cup a "great school" for his players, some of whom "are leaving the country for the first time".

"These are players we don't know at all" 

"Everything is new, different" for most of them, he added, but also for the Blues, who are discovering these players.

This can pose some difficulties for goalkeepers, according to that of France Vincent Gérard, questioned after the match of the first round against Saudi Arabia (41-23), an opponent of the caliber of Iran.

"It's difficult to show the best of your qualities because they are players you don't know at all. It's a bit like when you play in the Coupe de France against a team from N1 (3rd division): you you take the winger's special, the chabala (small lob) or the roucoulette (shot with rebound and effect), because he knows how to do it very well and you don't know him "says Gérard.