To the delight of a thousand spectators at the Olympic swimming pool, the Blues stopped off in Montpellier before returning to Montenegro, Monday in Sète (8:30 p.m.), for the revenge.
This Saturday evening, a great excitement took over the Olympic swimming pool in Montpellier. 27 days before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the pool, one of the most beautiful and functional in the country, welcomed the French team.
A good thousand spectators had gathered in the stands to admire the star of the Blues Thomas Vernoux and his partners, fourth in the last world championships. The famous local table tennis players Félix and Alexis Lebrun but also the goalkeeper of Montpellier Handball Charles Bolzinger were among the lot.
A great atmosphere and suspense
After the solemn anthem of Montenegro, the evening’s opponent, the Marseillaise was sung at the top of its voice by an enthusiastic, family-oriented audience, delighted to take part in the celebrations.
For the team of Alexandre Bouet, child of Montpellier and first scorer of the evening, this meeting launched a series of matches which would allow it to make tactical adjustments and to feel in real conditions the support of the French people from which it will benefit in Paris at the end of the month. “The preparation was organized in such a way that we played our preparation matches in France in front of our fans to anticipate the good pressure that we will have at the Games.”confirmed the Montpellier named captain for the occasion.
Coach Florian Bruzzo’s men were not disappointed. Each goal scored ignited the stands and made the blue-white-red flags wave. In exchange, France and Montenegro of Montpellier goalkeeper Lazar Andric offered suspense to the audience.
So much so that the two teams ended regulation time with a draw (14-14) and Montenegro ended up winning in the penalty shootout. But the result was anecdotal as the evening was a success for the Blues and their Montpellier supporters.
