Finish in style. Despite the low stakes of this third match of the preliminary round of the European Handball Championships between Portugal and France, the Blues had only that in mind. A mission perfectly accomplished thanks to a successful first half and a Laura Glauser in very good shape (28-16). Thanks to this third success and this flawless performance, the French finished first in their group and will start the main round in an interesting position, with a victory already on the clock.
But more than the balance sheet, the new coach Sébastien Gardillou will undoubtedly be pleased to have been able to rotate his squad, offering minutes of play to all the players. They thanked him with a full performance and, above all, goals. In total, 13 players found the net, with poor Jessica Vargas Ferreira being helpless. Alicia Toublanc and Sarah Bouktit were the best performers, with 5 goals.
On the other side of the field, Laura Glauser largely participated in the great French success, in a desperately empty St-Jakobshalle in Basel. Disgusting her opponents, particularly during 7m throws, the goalkeeper made six saves (46%) in the first half alone, before being replaced by Floriane André in the second act, who was even more efficient (eight stops at 50%).
The Blues can now look forward to the main round with confidence, which will begin this Thursday in Debrecen, Hungary. They will be in a group made up, in any case, of Hungary and Sweden. The results of Group B are still awaited but Montenegro already has two victories. After the four scheduled matches, the first two nations will qualify for the semi-finals of this women’s handball Euro.
