Samir Bellahcene, one of the two goalkeepers of the French team to have played the first two matches of the World Cup, has withdrawn from the rest of the competition due to injury and is replaced by Valentin Kieffer, the French Federation announced on Saturday. Bellahcene injured his right thigh on Friday in training, on the eve of the last match of the Blues' preliminary round, against Austria (6 p.m.) in Porec, said FFHandball.
A match for which Charles Bolzinger, in the stands during the first two matches (37-19 against Qatar and 43-19 against Kuwait), will form the pair of goalkeepers with Rémi Desbonnet. Kieffer (25 years old, 0 selection), called up for the French team for the first time in November, will join the group on Sunday in Varazdin, where the Blues will begin the main round on Tuesday.
