impressive, the Blues rush into the quarter-finals

The French team will travel first class to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, heading to Zagreb. By logically winning this Thursday against the Netherlands (35-28), Guillaume Gille's players continued their flawless performance in Croatia, qualified for the next round and definitively secured their first place before even to challenge North Macedonia on Saturday evening (8:30 p.m.). A final match of the main round which will therefore count as butter on an arithmetic level, but which should allow the Blues to maintain their excellent dynamic.

A steamroller. This was the feeling at the end of the first period of the France team against the Netherlands. Without seeming to touch it, with a certain mastery and a patience worthy of praise in the face of the skirmishes of this devil of Luc Steins, the Dutch center half with talent inversely proportional to his height (1.72m), the Blues managed to widen the gap little by little. Inexorably. With first Thibaud Briet in the role of the gunner, then Dika Mem who continues to impress even though his injury to his right shoulder about two months ago seemed likely to condemn him to miss this World Cup. But the Barcelona rear is there, and there.

Only the last ten minutes disappoint a little

With 5 goals scored at the break, he was the great architect of the French control of the debates during the first act, finished with a nice lead for France (19-13). The Blues skillfully and calmly maintained this advantage during the first quarter of an hour of the second half at a slightly sluggish pace (26-20, 45th). But all it took was a simple boost from Elohim Prandi and Aymeric Minne for the gap to widen again (30-22, 48th). Although less successful, the last ten minutes changed nothing at the end of a match perfectly controlled by the French (35-28), who can now prepare for the quarter-finals with peace of mind.