It will be a big piece for the Blues. Beaten for the first time in the World Handball Championship by the Netherlands this Monday (26-23), the French team now knows its opponent for the quarter-finals. Second in their group after this setback, Sébastien Gardillou’s players will face Denmark this Wednesday, December 10 at 8 p.m.
“We have a big quarter-final and we are going to focus on that,” reacted Les Bleues pivot Pauletta Foppa after her team’s defeat against the Netherlands. Before its captain Tamara Horacek also goes in this direction: “We have to get back to work more seriously to face Denmark”.
The Tricolores will not start as favorites against the Danes, who had already eliminated them at the end of the semi-finals of the 2024 European Championship. If they take this step, they will be opposed to Germany or Brazil in the last four, while a success would have placed them in the Norwegian scarecrow’s half of the table. A possible final would pit them against Norway, Montenegro, the Netherlands or Hungary.
In the event of success against the Netherlands this Monday evening, the Blues would have been able to secure first place in their group and thus place themselves in the most affordable part of the final table. The reigning world champions remain on two consecutive failures at the Euro, each time with fourth place, while the Danes have chained two lost finals on the continental scene.
