The French handball team reached Zagreb on Sunday, where Egypt awaits this Tuesday, January 28 in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, which it approaches confident of its strength after two perfectly negotiated first gently sloping rounds.
On Sunday, the Blues left Varazdin at midday for a short trip of around 90 kilometers towards the south and the Croatian capital, where their next opponent has taken up residence since the start of the competition.
The Egyptians, regular candidates for the final four of international competitions in recent years, have, as expected, taken second place in group IV. But with much more difficulty than expected against modest Cape Verde (31-24).
“It will be a physical match, they are a team that defends hard, they are quite strong,” Blues right-back Dika Mem had planned on Saturday evening. “It promises to be a dangerous quarter-final. But we are charting our course, we are not afraid of anyone and we are ready to play all the teams,” Luka Karabatic, for his part, declared.
Hesham uncertain
The “Pharaohs”, coached by the Spaniard Juan Carlos Pastor, 2005 world champion at the head of the “Roja”, and led by Paris Saint-Germain right-back Yahia Omar, are however deprived of Yahia Elderaa for this World Cup. , the left back or center half of Veszprem (Hungary), injured.
And a question mark surrounds the presence of their other right-handed backfield player, MHB player Ahmed Hesham, who did not participate in the main round due to a blow to his knee.
-French and Egyptians will meet again only six months after their confrontation during the group stage of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and a draw (26-26) by the Blues thanks to a goal from Ludovic Fabregas at the last second preventing them from just a third consecutive defeat.
“It is the defense which must secure us”
“It’s so far away for me.”swept Nedim Remili on Saturday after the success against North Macedonia (32-25) at the end of the main round. Six months after the Olympic crash, the blue board is indeed much more presentable, in form and substance.
The team led by Guillaume Gille won its six matches with ease (11.8 goals difference on average) and consistency, in defensive effort and in terms of offensive fluidity, even if it did not face any opponent of very prominent (Qatar, Kuwait, Austria, Hungary, Netherlands and North Macedonia).
“Don't give anything easy, don't concede anything easy, that's been a constant with us from the start. We know that we have a big strike force in attack but that it's the defense that must secure us.”explains Luka Karabatic, praising “investment, state of mind and combativeness” of the Blues.
