Handball: France beats Germany in quarters of World Cup and will face Sweden in semi-finals

The French team won Wednesday 35 to 28, after a trying first half. She relied on the performance of the replacement goalkeeper, Rémi Desbonnet, who stopped twelve shots.

MO12345lemonde with AFP

The Blues fly to the semi-finals, thanks in particular to his goalkeeper, Rémi Desbonnet. The French team defeated Germany (35-28) in Gdansk, Wednesday, January 25, in the quarterfinals of the World Handball. She will face the Sweden team, winner of Egypt (22 to 16), in the semi-finals on Friday, at home, in Stockholm.

At equality (16-16) at halftime, the Blues dominated their opponents during the second act, based in particular on an exceptional performance by Rémi Desbonnet, their replacement goalkeeper, author of twelve stops.

The Blues, reigning Olympic champions, will face a major opponent on Friday. The Sweden team, reigning European champion, was successively the executioner of the French team in the last square during the previous edition of the World Cup and during Euro 2022.

An insurmountable goalkeeper

If the Olympic champions hang a new star on their jersey on Sunday, they will be able to thank Desbonnet, who pulled them a beautiful thorn of the foot against Germany, which they had beaten during the two previous confrontations, for the Bronze medal of the 2019 World Cup and in chickens of the Olympic Games in 2021.

The Montpellier, of a modest template (1.82 meters) for the position, unrolled his work in two stages. In the first, before rest, it went up gently in temperature after entering the place of Vincent Gérard, released by the quarter of an hour without having made the slightest stop. Unlike his counterpart Andreas Wolff, who disgusted the Blues in the first period, who could consider himself happy to be equal to the break with only 50 % successful success.

The Kielce goalkeeper made nearly ten stops before rest, including a double against Nikola Karabatic (10 ^{e minute) or a spectacular, the right leg almost at the level of the head, facing the DIKA MEM left alone in counter-attack (20 e ).}

Desbonnet, 30 years old, carried out his first parade only eight minutes after his entry into play, but he definitively launched the machine after two consecutive parades, the second against Patrick Groetzki (29 SUP>) launched alone in front of him. After the rest, the replacement goalkeeper was insumable or almost ten minutes (34 e -43 e ), during which he made seven stops on eight shots. They initially maintained his team with their heads out of the water (17-19, 34 e ), before she took three goals in advance (23-20, 44 E ).

With its twelve judgments in total, Desbonnet has finished disgusting the German shooters and definitively ensured the victory of the Blues with two parades five minutes from the end (30-25).