We had already prepared everything. We once again looked into the history of the numerous finals between France and Norway, between the French world champions and the Scandinavian Olympic champions. We had taken out everything necessary to qualify this umpteenth confrontation between the two best sticky ball nations in the world. We were salivating even more as the remake of the Olympic final in Lille, missed by the Bleues, approached.
Remember, the Norwegians came home to teach us a good lesson (21-29). We were waiting for a revenge to put stars in the Christmas sky. We started from a fairly simple postulate. Normally, a women's handball tournament is as simple as pie. We take around twenty teams at the start, we mix well, we make them compete against each other and at the end, we end up with an inevitable France-Norway duel to finish. It's almost always like this
But no, not this time. Patatras: there will be no France-Norway final at the Euro. Alas, three times alas: France, hitherto undefeated, has stumbled. She broke her nose on the penultimate step set up by Denmark. It's always sad to cry, a French team that loses, especially one that doesn't get us used to it. “I am very disappointed,” complains Estelle Nze Minko. The moment is hard when you understand that you will not accomplish your dream and that you will not have what you came to look for.”
We're not going to say, now that it's over, that we saw it coming. After a first round that could be improved, Sébastien Gardillou's team gained strength as the days went by. Even in the days of Olivier Krumbholz, the French team had never approached the money time of a Euro with an impeccable record: seven victories for as many matches. We could therefore see her swallowing this Danish team in one gulp, like a good Viennese chocolate.
“Too many failures in shooting”
We perhaps just forgot too quickly that Denmark left Lille this summer with a bronze medal and the Euro two years ago with silver after a final against… Norway. “I am disappointed for the players who wanted to find Norway in the final,” saddens Sébastien Gardillou at the microphone of BeIN Sports. We gave what we could give but it was not enough. We had too many missed shots, we came across an excellent goalkeeper and we didn't find the solutions I was hoping for. »
It was with heads bowed, a few tears in the edges of their eyes that the French women returned to the locker room. “It’s important to be disappointed and angry,” pleaded Grace Zaadi Deuna on TFX. Now, it would still be nice to end this adventure with a medal around my neck. » Because no, the Blues are not done yet: they still have to play one match, perhaps the worst, that of the small final on Sunday to get the consoling bronze medal.
It will be against Hungary, an old acquaintance we met as recently as last Tuesday (30-27 victory). The charm will not take away the sadness but it will allow us to finish with a better record than during the last Euro. Two years ago, France finished fourth. If this time she finishes third, the results will be positive. Less than expected, unfortunately.
