TOPS
Olivier Krumbholz’s choice to start Hatadou Sako as starting goalkeeper during this quarter-final was surprising to say the least. But in handball, such tenure does not remain set in stone with the possibility – for the coach – of making as many changes as he wishes on this position. And if Sako was discreet in the first half, the entry into play of Laura Glauser changed everything in the second half. With five saves in ten minutes, Bisontine wasted no time in cooling the hot hands of the Czech side, before closing the shop to finish with 12 saves in just thirty minutes of play. And six goals conceded. A recital which was well worth a little dance on the part of the person concerned, and a deserved title of player of the match which had unfairly escaped her two days ago against Norway.
In the tough in placed attacks, the French team was once again able to rely on the acceleration of its captain. Particularly in the second half, during which she led the attack to finally allow the Blues to take a five-step lead, which they had not been able to do during the first act. Incisive in one-on-one situations, very strong on the ball, Estelle Nze Minko had a complete match, with an efficient 5 out of 6 shooting, accompanied by 6 assists and an interception. At 32, the Gyor player aims to win a second world title after that of 2017 and so far, nothing and no one seems able to stop her at this World Championship.
Conceding 16 goals in a single period is not really in the habits of the French team, experts in impermeable defense. As a result, as Chloé Valentini said very bluntly after the match, “it sucked” during the break and Olivier Krumbholz took charge of “pulling up the straps” of his players. A message received five out of five in view of a second act during which France only conceded six goals, including only three in 18 minutes. Certainly, this performance also owes to Glauser’s excellent entry and also to the fatigue accumulated by the Czechs since the start of the competition. But we must not neglect the impact made by everyone, notably Pauletta Foppa, in the oven and in the mill to put pressure on the opposing backs and steal two balls. With the defense of the first act, France will not be world champion. With that of the second act on the other hand…
FLOPS
Apart from the very delicate first match against Angola, the France team had shown great stability in the game since the start of the World Cup. Which was not the case in the first period, between a very controlled and convincing first quarter of an hour, and the last ten minutes marked by frustrating failures in shooting and numerous ball losses (eight in the first thirty minutes, more than in the entire match against Norway). As a result, instead of making the match easier, Olivier Krumbholz’s players let a four-goal lead slip away (10-6) to reach the break with a small cushion of two goals (18-16) which would have could, and even should, have been much more comfortable.
Even if since the start of the World Championship, the French team had seemed to cure its shooting ailments, this quarter-final marked a certain relapse, paradoxically, despite the 33 goals scored. Not really a reference at international level, Sabrina Novotna, the second Czech goalkeeper, had a little too much opportunity to highlight herself with 11 saves, some of which were on point-blank shots from six meters. With only seven goals from 9 meters, the Blues lacked power from afar, like an Orlane Kanor-Tamara Horacek tandem less lively in this match than before in the competition (3 out of 8 between them) .
