Handball: French women qualify for Euro 2024 semi-finals by beating Sweden (31-27)

Les Bleues ont été portées par leur capitaine Estelle Nze Minko, joueuse du match. MTI – Zsolt Czegledi

The French team continues its flawless run at Euro 2024 with a sixth victory in as many matches, Sunday, December 8, against Sweden. 

By beating Sweden (31-27) on Sunday in Debrecen, Hungary, the French women qualified for the semi-finals of the Euro handball championship in Austria, the goal they had set for themselves before the start of the competition. After 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022, Les Bleues have reached the last four on the continental stage for the fifth time in a row, having already won silver at the Paris Games this year.

“Being able to perpetuate the French team's ability to reach the semi-finals, that would be the goal we should set ourselves”, said Sébastien Gardillou more than two weeks ago, who had not yet officially worn his costume as new coach in a major competition. Now, the former assistant to the illustrious Olivier Krumbholz has succeeded in his first bet, and the French women will join Vienna, in Austria, next week to try to do better than two years ago in Slovenia, where they had stopped at the semi-final stage. Before that, a final match awaits them on Tuesday evening in the main round (8:30 p.m.) against Hungary, who also qualified earlier Sunday by beating Romania (37-29).

Against a Swedes on the verge of elimination in this main round, the Bleues played a great match, during which the key players rose to the challenge, like captain Estelle Nze Minko (6/9), Tamara Horacek (6/7) and Chloé Valentini (5/8).

Horacek almost perfect

The world champions already had a six-goal lead in the 23rd minute, thanks to Nze Minko, who was ill for several days during this Euro but who is back in great shape, as aggressive in defense as she is incisive in attack (7-13 in the 23rd minute). A description that can also be attributed to her teammate Tamara Horacek, who has not been very successful shooting in this Euro so far, but who this time produced an almost perfect performance, allowing the French to maintain their lead at half-time (19-13).

After the Swedish team's surge of Jamina Roberts before the last quarter of an hour of play, Grace Zaadi and Chloé Valentini responded to give their team some breathing room (27-23 in the 46th minute) before Nze Minko and Horacek, again they did not widen the gap again (30-24 in the 50th). A difference that the Swedes would never manage to fill, while the Olympic vice-champions, they, rushed towards the last four.urt