TOPS
Discreet, not to say insufficient since the start of the Euro, Nikola Karabatic showed his best face at the best time, against this German team that he has so often tormented in the past. Elected man of the match, the French full-back certainly only scored 4 goals in this match, but all of them were at important moments, not to mention his ability to fetch throws from seven meters. At 39 years old, the French handball star is obviously no longer as dominant as before but in a match, like tonight, he still has the ability to make the difference.
To say that the Blues disappointed against Switzerland (26-26) on Sunday was an understatement. And as Ludovic Fabregas intelligently pointed out, this poor performance could either be a beneficial “booster shot” or a harbinger of a disillusioning tomorrow. Trailing 3-0 from the start, the Blues could then have fallen into complete doubt. But mentally, they were able to hang on, come back and deliver the blow at the end of the match, notably with a defense found in the last quarter of an hour, during which the Germans went seven minutes without scoring. A good omen for the future.
The German goalkeeper, who literally extinguished Switzerland in the opening match, represented one of the main dangers for the Mannschaft. And undeniably, he lived up to the occasion. Without him and his 16 saves, the Mannschaft would probably have been defeated much earlier in the match. Andreas Wolff notably tormented poor Yannis Lenne (see below), but also produced two incredible saves at point blank range, one against Kentin Mahé, the other against Valentin Porte. But he alone could not stop the French shooters, and feed the score on the other side of the field.
FLOPS
Present in the group for the first time in this Euro after suffering from lower back pain, the right winger was even thrown straight into the deep end by Guillaume Gille. A bold choice, which unfortunately turned into a disaster. Faced with a diabolical Andreas Wolff to close all possible angles, Yannis Lenne came up against a real wall and missed his first three shots, before logically being called back to the bench by his coach. And as a symbol, encouraging for France but cruel for him, his replacement, Valentin Porte, scored on his first attempt.
The German handball star experienced a match that was ultimately quite similar to that of the World Cup quarter-final a year ago. That is to say at first very brilliant, the center-half being the main instigator of the excellent start to the match of the Mannschaft which had very quickly led 3-0. But perhaps due to his long playing time, but also to the quality of the French defense, Juri Knorr ended up running out of steam and he finished the match exhausted, without the slightest influence in the money-time. So yes, he finished top scorer for his team with 8 goals. But a player of his caliber can only be judged on that…
