2024-01-10 20:52:20
Invited to open this Euro 2024 in Germany, the Blues easily disposed of North Macedonia (39-29) on Wednesday in Düsseldorf. In a rather well-stocked 50,000-seat stadium, the French team, seeking a first European title since 2014, got their competition off to a good start. After an uneven first period, Guillaume Gille’s players raised their level in the second act to move towards a clear victory. “The first matches in competitions are very delicate, it was important to win,” reacted Hugo Descat, named best player of the match, after the match on BeIN Sports.
The Blues still took a quarter of an hour to fully enter the game. Jostled by a limited Macedonian team (22nd in the last Euro) but determined, Nikola Karabatic’s teammates started timidly and were trailing in 15th (8-10). But thanks to an offensive awakening and several saves from goalkeeper Rémi Desbonnet, they broke away to lead at the break (17-13).
The rest against the host country on Sunday
The second period, more disjointed, allowed the Blues to widen the gap and progress without fear. In terms of individualities, Hugo Descat (7 goals), Dylan Nahi (6 goals) and Dika Mem (5 goals) stood out to lead the French to a quiet victory. For the eleventh Euro of his career, Nikola Karabatic held his place and the Parisian, like his teammates, gained momentum throughout the match.
“This gap of 10 goals is the biggest we had in the match, we are satisfied with this increase in power,” analyzed Ludovic Fabregas at the microphone of BeIN Sports after the match. The Blues made numerous substitutions, without this having a negative impact on the result. “We try to do as much rotation as possible,” confirmed Fabregas. This bench depth can make the difference. »
This start in crescendo mode, completed without any downside, bodes well for these Blues “full of appetite”, as Valentin Porte indicated the day before. The road is obviously still long until the final on January 28, to win a first continental title in ten years. The French will first have to show the same seriousness against Switzerland on Sunday then Germany, the host country, next Tuesday, to ensure their participation in the main round. A priori, this first objective should be achieved without incident.
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