After a masterful match against Poland at the start, the Blues have the opportunity to open the door to the main round of the Euro handball on Saturday against Spain (6:00 p.m.).
While the two best teams from the six groups of four in the preliminary round will join the next phase, the French, who have two points like the Spaniards, can almost guarantee to pack their bags to join Hungary and Debrecen for the rest of the competition.
This could also be the case before they even set foot on the floor of the St. Jakobshalle in Basel depending on the result of the match between Poland and Portugal (Saturday 3:30 p.m.).
But before taking out the calculator or grabbing their passport, the Olympic vice-champions in Paris must first confirm.
And the coach, Sébastien Gardillou, is clear: “I don’t like playing Spain”he said, because “he is a rigorous adversary” who always poses “problems” to France.
The last time wasn’t that long ago. It was last Friday, in Saint-Chamond (Loire) in a preparation match that the Spanish won 28-27.
Workforce under reconstruction
Coach Ambros Martin’s squad has changed a lot since the Olympic Games this summer in Paris, where his players had five defeats in as many matches – including one against France (32-24) -, falling to 12th and last place. of the tournament.
Danila So Delgado (right) during the victory against Portugal on November 28, 2024 in Basel. The Spanish left-back, aged 23, was identified as a threat by the Bleues coach before the France-Spain preliminary round of the Euro handball / SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP/Archives
No less than eleven players present in Switzerland were not part of the Olympic adventure, and some harmed the French team in the Loire, like left back Danila So Delgado, who is shown with a 7/12 shooting.
“A powerful player, whose power is expressed through speed”analyzes Sébastien Gardillou, who found the 23-year-old Spaniard “very comfortable, too comfortable against” the French.
The new coach of the Bleues nevertheless does not make much of this defeat ahead of the competition. It was “a completely different context”he put it into perspective. “Beyond the fact that it is a preparation match, it is a team that we knew little about”he added.
“It’s an atypical team, which plays in small spaces, with very imposing pivots. We know today the strong points they have and we absolutely must rectify all that for tomorrow (Saturday)”agrees Chloé Valentini.
The 29-year-old left winger and her teammates arrive in any case full of confidence, launched perfectly into the mix by their great success against Poland on Thursday evening (35-22) with a high quality match and a fiery start.
“We came out with a smile and pride, we must build on that”advances winger Pauline Coatanea, sparkling against the Poles with a flawless shot (5/5).
Even if their opponent on Saturday will obviously “step up a notch”she specifies, “if we approach the Spain match as we approached it yesterday (Thursday), it will not be the same meeting as last week”. And above all, it will be the ideal opportunity to gain momentum.
