30.
6:39 p.m
Half-time conclusion:
In the opening game, France leads against North Macedonia 17:13 at the break. After one missed throw each, both teams got off to a fast-paced but error-filled start. Every loss of the ball, every dropped ball was punished mercilessly with counterattacks and a lot of pressure from the second wave. The Macedonians in particular had difficulty retreating and as a result often had to bite their teeth into the Paris defense. But in the middle of the first half, the underdog took control, with saves from Nikola Mitrevski and the powerful Filip Taleski, the Balkan team took the lead with two goals and forced France coach Guillaume Gille to take an early timeout. In this he should adjust his star ensemble better, the favorite increasingly took control of the game. It wasn’t brilliant handball yet, but the Equipe Tricolore should be happy with it for the first game of the tournament and we can build on that. It was a good performance for the underdog, but the road to sensation is long. See you in round two!
30.
6:35 p.m
End of 1st half
30.
18:34
Goal for France, 17:13 by Melvyn Richardson
Go into the dressing room with a Kempa goal! The absolute world class of the French shone through for the first time.
30.
6:33 p.m
Goal for North Macedonia, 16:13 by Filip Taleski
Without a doubt! He is the decisive thrower in the backcourt!
29.
18:32
Goal for France, 16:12 by Melvyn Richardson
After almost four goalless minutes, the left-hander from FC Barcelona gets possession of the ball and safely completes the counterattack in the bottom left corner.
28.
18:32
And Taleski just throws it next to the post! Both teams continue to make a lot of mistakes, Prandi also puts the ball well over the box in the breakthrough from six meters.
27.
6:31 p.m
The number of errors remains high! First Taleski carelessly throws the ball away, but Dika Mem’s counter pass also ends up in the hands of a Macedonian…
26.
18:29
Goal for France, 15:12 by Elohim Prandi
But now! Nikola Mitrevski was just able to catch Brandy’s throw, now the half-left winger thunders the ball into the bottom left corner as a powerful touchdown, at the end of a long ball relay.
25.
18:28
Goal for North Macedonia, 14:12 by Marko Mitev
If Mitev doesn’t get contact at eight meters, he just throws. With a bit of luck, the ball will go through Desbonnet’s braces.
24.
18:28
Now it is trainer Kiril Lazarov who has his first Team timeout must intervene! His team has lost the thread offensively and can no longer find gaps in the French’s compact defensive formation.
24.
18:27
Goal for France, 14:11 by Elohim Prandi
22.
6:25 p.m
Goal for France, 13:11 by Hugo Descat
22.
18:24
Goal for North Macedonia, 12:11 by Ivan Djonov
20.
18:23
Goal for France, 12:10 by Ludovic Fabregas
The man on the circle can hold his own in the barrier and skillfully utilizes the tip pass. The favorites pull away with a 4-0 run, also because Macedonia’s selection can no longer find solutions in 7 against 6.
19.
18:22
Goal for France, 11:10 by Hugo Descat
What a hand! The left winger literally caresses the ball into the net, delicately placing the ball past the keeper’s head. With his fifth goal this evening, he is the Equipe Tricolore’s safest shooter.
18.
18:21
So far this game could be described as a roller coaster ride: extremely fast pace, but when it comes to quality there are a lot of ups and downs…
17.
6:19 p.m
Goal for France, 10:10 by Hugo Descat
The time out must have had its first effect, with two quick goals everything is back to square one. Descat nets the counterattack on the left side, Desbonnet was able to distinguish himself once again in the French goal.
16.
6:18 p.m
Goal for France, 9:10 by Valentin Porte
Is it good! With a lot of overview, the ball runs to the last step! On the right wing, Porte is a grateful receiver and converts safely in the short corner.
16.
6:18 p.m
Bang! France coach Guillaume Gille has to get his first one early Time out take! The efficiency in finishing is not good at all, and the aggressiveness in defense is also lacking. Both sides make too many mistakes, but the Macedonians are also able to punish them with counterattacks.
16.
6:16 p.m
Goal for North Macedonia, 8:10 by Filip Kuzmanovski
14.
6:15 p.m
Goal for North Macedonia, 8:9 by Zharko Peshevski
The axis with Kuzmanovski fits! The pivot creates a powerful block, shaking off Nikola Karabatić. The playmaker only needs to place the ball in his hand.
13.
6:15 p.m
This should now be the French’s first positional attack after almost 13 minutes! Before, it was only the counter-attack game and the second wave that allowed the French to score. But you also have to pay tribute to the high speed, the number of errors is correspondingly high!
13.
6:14 p.m
Goal for North Macedonia, 8:8 by Filip Kuzmanovski
12.
18:13
Goal for France, 8:7 by Dika Mem
At the front, Velkovski misplaces the ball, then things go off again. Mem drives the ball forward and takes responsibility early in the French backcourt.
11.
18:11
Goal for France, 7:7 by Dika Mem
This is full-throttle handball that’s on the record here. Nikola Mitrevski appears to be in good form between the Macedonians’ posts at the start. But he is also powerless against Dem’s counterattack.
10.
18:11
Goal for North Macedonia, 6:7 by Ivan Djonov
10.
18:11
Goal for France, 6:6 by Hugo Descat
9.
6:10 p.m
Goal for North Macedonia, 5:6 by Nenad Kosteski
And then the underdog even takes the lead here. Because the North Macedonians can also play at speed.
8th.
6:09 p.m
Goal for North Macedonia, 5:5 by Zharko Peshevski
The same picture emerges again and again: the Balkan team struggles to get clear shots and repeatedly bites its teeth into the very compact 6-0 defense. A robust lock solves the problem for now.
8th.
6:09 p.m
Goal for France, 5:4 by Ludovic Fabregas
7.
6:09 p.m
Goal for North Macedonia, 4:4 by Ivan Djonov
7.
6:08 p.m
After two missed throws at the beginning, the game picked up speed significantly, with both teams running up and down. But it is above all the reigning Olympic champion who determines the action here and demands a lot from the North Macedonians early on.
6.
6:07 p.m
Goal for North Macedonia, 4:3 by Filip Taleski
With a wide movement, the backcourt shooter gets his arm free and fires the ball into the left corner from almost ten meters.
5.
6:06 p.m
Goal for France, 4:2 by Ludovic Fabregas
The post starts right here! The French are merciless in defense and punish every hasty and unprepared finish with speed play. Once again, the pivot is the first to be in front and confidently takes advantage of the counterattack.
4.
6:05 p.m
Goal for France, 3-2 by Hugo Descat
4.
6:05 p.m
Goal for North Macedonia, 2-2 by Ivan Djonov
4.
6:05 p.m
Goal for France, 2-1 by Dika Mem
The French pick up the pace in the second wave, the left-hander can break through.
3.
6:03 p.m
Goal for France, 1-1 by Hugo Descat
The left winger scored the first goal for the Equipe Tricolore from the seven-meter line. He doesn’t give Martin Tomovski a chance to defend himself.
2.
18:02
Goal for North Macedonia, 0-1 by Filip Taleski
There’s the first hit! On the second attempt it went right, from ten meters the half-left man threw the ball past Desbonnet and into the net.
1.
18:02
Both teams start the game nervously! Both Taleski and Mem miss first opportunities for their colors.
1.
6:01 p.m
Here we go, the duel between France and North Macedonia is on!
1.
6:01 p.m
Game start
5:55 p.m
The opening game will be led by the two referees Mirza Kurtagic and Mattias Wetterwik from Sweden. The EHF is sending Jan Kampman from Denmark as supervisor. The record setting is ready, and so are the teams. The national anthems sound and then the ball flies.
5:50 p.m
The influence and respect of the players in front of the crowd is also likely to be a deciding factor today: It is the DHB’s record attempt, the football stadium in Düsseldorf was rebuilt especially for this purpose and there will be room for over 50,000 fans. A completely new situation for the indoor handball player. The Equipe Tricolore is clearly the favorite going into the game, led by veteran and former world handball player Nikola Karabatic. The reigning Olympic champion and runner-up world champion has been in extremely strong form recently, with only one defeat in the last 20 official games. The team from the Balkans, coached by handball icon Kiril Lazarov, takes on the role of underdog. But his influence is now significantly less than it was as a player. There have been four wins in a row recently, but the opponents were “only” Luxembourg, Turkey and Greece. But today they want to put pressure on the title contenders with a physically present style of play.
5:40 p.m
Favorites is the right keyword, because there are many title contenders. In addition to the hat-trick world champion Denmark, who struggled at the last European Championship tournaments, defending champion Sweden also has legitimate ambitions. The French and Spanish are also likely to play a defining role in the tournament again. But the international top in particular is slipping ever closer together, so nations like Iceland, Norway, the Netherlands, host Germany and the Faroe Islands are also hoping to land one or two lucky punches. Looking at Group A, co-favorites France and hosts Germany have an exciting group ahead of them. Switzerland in particular has an ambitious team in which many faces from the Bundesliga want to show off. But North Macedonia should not be underestimated either, with their physically robust style of play they should be an unpleasant opening opponent for the French.
5:30 p.m
For the first time, one nation is the sole host of a European Championship with 24 participating teams. Your goal: to win the European handball crown in Germany. The tournament begins in six preliminary round groups of four teams, with the first and second place teams moving on to the six-team main round. The points from the direct duel in the preliminary round will be taken with you. A further five games will then follow to determine placement in the main round. The two best teams advance directly to the semi-finals, then play crosswise against the nations from the second main round. The respective third-placed teams still play for fifth place in the tournament. This means that a lot of excitement is guaranteed right from the preliminary round; you can only go far in this tournament mode with optimal results. Accordingly, the following applies especially to the favorites: slipping is forbidden!
5:20 p.m
Hello and welcome to the 16th European Men’s Handball Championship! In the first game of the tournament, France and North Macedonia meet in Group A, kick-off is at 6 p.m. in the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf!