France reduce Berlin crowd to silence by beating Germany

Helped by 13,571 fans in a sold-out Mercedes-Benz Arena, the Germans started the game pushing every ball, taking an early advantage but not being able to keep it for long. In a superb atmosphere, France took the upper hand towards the end of the first half and managed to keep it until the middle of the second half.

But despite the hosts coming back level with 15 minutes left to play, France kept their composure to take the victory. Thanks to this win, France will travel to the main round with two points while Germany will also be in Cologne, but with zero points.

GROUP A

France vs Germany 33:30 (17:15)

• backed by their raucous fans, Germany put their foot to the pedal right from throw-off. As Andreas Wolff made several saves, the hosts were already up by three after five minutes
• thanks to Nikola Karabatic’s experience and Ludovic Fabregas’ offensive efficiency, France quickly came back and even took the lead for the first time after 15 minutes, keeping it until half-time
• the second half-time saw both teams doing back-and-forth, with France keeping the upper hand until the 47th minute, when Juri Knorr made the score even with a seven-metre throw
• it all came down to the last five minutes, during which France managed to keep their nerves, as Dika Mem and Kentin Mahé provided some much needed goals to drive their team to victory
• thanks to his four goals, France’s Nikola Karabatic was elected Player of the Match
• both teams are qualified for the main round, France will start it with two points while Germany will start with no points

Nikola Karabatic, as key as ever for France

He might have been quiet since the beginning of the EHF EURO, only netting once against North Macedonia before remaining silent, but it seems that, these days, Nikola Karabatic is saving his energy for the big games.

On Tuesday, he sat at the wheel of the France boat in the middle of the first half, when the Berlin wind was blowing strong, and instantly stabilised his team. His four goals do not tell the impact that he had on the France win. But “Niko” definitely deserved the Player of the Match award he received.

Photos © Kolektiff Images