19.
18:21
Goal for France, 12:10 by Dika Mem
18.
18:21
Goal for Austria, 11:10 by Janko Božović
18.
18:21
Goal for France, 11:9 by Hugo Descat
17.
6:19 p.m
Goal for France, 10:9 by Nedim Remili
This time the French play out their superiority patiently, Remili comes to an open finish through the middle.
16.
6:19 p.m
What a great pass Karabatić has made here! No-look, he hits the touchdown to the circle, but Tournat misses the pass and misses by centimeters.
16.
6:18 p.m
2 minutes for Nikola Bilyk (Austria)
Against the second wave, the half left is too late and pushes from the side. The Czech referees take a consistent line.
15.
6:17 p.m
Goal for Austria, 9:9 by Nikola Bilyk
15.
6:17 p.m
Leadership France! First the Equipe Tricolore conjures up, Remili serves Mem with a Kempa dream goal! Then Bellahcene sends Descat on his way, who has an easy time throwing at the empty goal.
15.
6:16 p.m
Goal for France, 9:8 by Hugo Descat
14.
6:16 p.m
Goal for France, 8:8 by Dika Mem
14.
6:15 p.m
Goal for Austria, 7:8 by Nikola Bilyk
After four minutes the Austrians scored again. Bilyk comes over the middle with momentum and climbs up with long steps. He almost shoots his teammate from Kiel into the goal.
13.
18:13
7-meter rejected by Hugo Descat (France) The goalkeeper change pays off! Ralf Häusle comes between the posts for the seven-meter shot, then Descat hits the post with his header.
13.
18:13
2 minutes for Sebastian Frimmel (Austria)
Frimmel grabs Fabregas’ arm, there are no two opinions.
12.
18:12
Goal for France, 7:7 by Nedim Remili
Compensation! Remili remains alert, even if he makes a bad pass beforehand. But he immediately gets hold of the ball again and can score from six meters.
11.
18:11
Goal for France, 6:7 by Hugo Descat
The left winger brings the first penalty throw safely into the box. Möstl dives and can no longer reach the hard throw into the top left corner.
10.
6:10 p.m
Goal for Austria, 5:7 by Robert Weber
The ball somehow gets to the right wing via a detour, as several hands were involved. But then the angle is big, the ex-Magdeburg player turns ice-cold.
9.
6:10 p.m
Goal for France, 5:6 by Dika Mem
8th.
6:10 p.m
And Constantin Möstl is here! As he did against Germany, the Austrian goalkeeper comes into the game well and buys a clear shot from Fabregas with his foot over his head.
8th.
6:09 p.m
Goal for Austria, 4:6 by Tobias Wagner
8th.
6:08 p.m
Goal for France, 4:5 by Ludovic Fabregas
7.
6:08 p.m
With a lot of patience, the Habsburgs create another good throwing option, Hutecek from TBV Lemgo nets from the run. But the French immediately counterattacked and found their top-class pivot, who scored safely as usual.
7.
6:07 p.m
Goal for France, 3:5 by Ludovic Fabregas
7.
6:07 p.m
Goal for Austria, 2:5 by Lukas Hutecek
6.
6:07 p.m
While the Austrians got off to a picture-perfect start, the French left out a lot. Dika Mem and Nedim Remili have already missed three good opportunities…
5.
6:05 p.m
Goal for France, 2:4 by Nikola Karabatić
The veteran takes over the reins of action in the positional game. With long strides he moves past the inside block and pushes the ball over the line with a touchdown against the direction of travel.
4.
6:04 p.m
Goal for Austria, 1:4 by Janko Božović
And again it is the left-hander who can assert himself on the right side. He jumps between half and outside and places the leather in the far corner.
3.
6:04 p.m
Goal for Austria, 1:3 by Nikola Bilyk
Boom! The man from THW Kiel throws a punch straight into the net.
3.
6:03 p.m
Thanks to a missed throw by Remili, the Austrians are able to add more directly via their massive circle. But from the second wave, the Equipe Tricolore scored on the left winger – a follow-up goal.
3.
6:03 p.m
Goal for France, 1:2 by Hugo Descat
3.
18:02
Goal for Austria, 0:2 by Tobias Wagner
1.
6:01 p.m
Goal for Austria, 0-1 by Janko Božović
The scoring begins, welcome back Božović. After recovering from illness, the half-right is back in the squad and scores straight away.
1.
6:00 p.m
Here we go, the duel between France and Austria is on!
1.
6:00 p.m
Game start
5:55 p.m
The duel in the main round will be led by the two referees Jiri Novotny and Vaclav Horacek from the Czech Republic. The EHF is sending Marco Trespidi from Italy as supervisor. The well-filled Lanxess Arena is ready, as are the teams. The national anthems sound and then the ball flies.
5:50 p.m
So far, the French have marched through the tournament without showing any major weaknesses. The breadth of the squad is often crucial in the game; many players are among the best in the world. This is how the games are decided in a very rip-off manner. The Equipe Tricolore usually wins their games narrowly but deservedly, and that’s how it should continue today against the Austrians. This would mean the French would make it into the semi-finals and secure first place. But the team of the hour from Austria can do anything at the moment – including the French’s first tournament defeat. They drew against Croatia and Spain in the preliminary round, as well as against Germany, and even managed a narrow win against Hungary. This means that the Austrians are clearly performing above their expectations, so they are likely to be an unpleasant opponent for the French today too. Given how the tournament has gone so far, a draw would be fitting…
5:40 p.m
The main round group I has a colorful mix of teams, there are a few surprises. France and Germany from Group A, Croatia and Austria from Group B and Hungary and Iceland from Group C secured progression. The reigning Olympic champions from France and the ambitious Hungarians were each able to take two points from the duel against the runners-up in their group into the main round and are therefore in the best position to reach the semi-finals. Due to the draw, Croatia and Austria take one point in the direct comparison, Germany and Iceland are still uncountable. This group constellation leaves a lot of room for surprises, many exciting games lie ahead. With six points, the French already have one foot in the semi-finals. But with the draw against Germany, the Austrians have also put themselves in a good starting position. If they manage to achieve the sensation of winning double points, they would also take a big step towards the round of the last four.
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. Then there are another four games to determine the 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 excitement is guaranteed in every game in the main round; you can only go far in this tournament mode with optimal results. Any loss of points, be it in the main round or taken from the preliminary round, can decide whether you advance.
5:20 p.m
Hello and welcome to the 16th European Men’s Handball Championship! On the third matchday of the main round, France and Austria meet in Group I, kick-off is at 6 p.m. in Cologne’s Lanxess Arena!