The French players knew how difficult it is to stop Vikings in search of gold. After a fierce battle, Guillaume Gille's men lost (34-29), to a brilliant Denmark team in the World Cup final in Stockholm on Sunday, January 29. The Danes were in the lead from the start, clinching an unprecedented third world title in a row against the team that had beaten them in the final at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, 18 months ago. Meanwhile, in the match for bronze, Spain beat Sweden (36-39).
In Stockholm's Tele2 Arena, where Danish supporters turned out in force, the French team hung in after a disastrous start. Nikola Karabatic, playing his last World Championship at 38, had to exit with a foot injury after a quarter of an hour. After having been five goals down, the French managed to level the score (16-16) at the start of the second half.
Like Ludovic Fabregas, who was handed two two-minute suspensions, the French defense, which had been majestic for two weeks, suffered from the Danish onslaught. Simon Pytlick (9 goals), Mathias Gidsel (6 goals) and Rasmus Lauge (10 goals) turned in a star performance. Lauge, who had hardly played at all in the tournament, made the difference in the last 15 minutes. In comparison, the French attacking game relied too much on the flashes of brilliance of Nedim Remili and Dika Mem.
The failure of the French goalkeepers did the rest. With Kevin Moller and, above all, Niklas Landin, twice rewarded as best player in the world, Denmark certainly has the best pair of goalkeepers in the world. Too often let down by their defense, neither Vincent Gérard (4 saves on 25 Danish shots) nor Rémi Desbonnet (3 on 16) managed to compete with the Danish goalkeepers.
The defeat has a bitter taste for Les Bleus, who were aiming for the title. "To stumble like that, one step from the finish, it's hard!" commented Vincent Gérard. "We were chasing from the start and we never managed to turn the tide, but I'm proud of the boys' spirit," added Gille. "I'm sure this group will bounce back. There are very good young players, people who are hungry. There will be other finals," added Luka Karabatic, the captain of Les Bleus.
A rugged team
Despite this defeat, Les Bleus can be proud of their run. Undefeated in the group phase, they successively beat Poland in Katowice (26-28), Germany in the quarterfinals (35-28) and, above all, took revenge in the semifinals (26-31) against Sweden in Stockholm, after two defeats against the Swedes in the semifinals in the 2021 World Championship and the 2022 European Championship.
Until the final, Les Bleus showed real defensive solidity. With Luka Karabatic, Fabregas and Nicolas Tournat, they have a trio of world-class pivots. France is a rugged team, hard to hurt, but it is also creative, especially with Mem, who is considered the best right-back in the world.
France also has a duo with very different profiles as playmakers, giving Gille many tactical options. Remili, who was voted best center back of the 2021 Tokyo Games, took his game to another level during this competition, showing off his class. Less flamboyant but just as effective, his alter ego Kentin Mahé has the style of a classical conductor, keeping his teammates in tempo.
In goal, the Gérard-Desbonnet duo had a poor final, but the two players are complementary. With 14 saves against Germany, Desbonnet showed that he is more than a second string. The emergence of Charles Bolzinger, who is only 22 years old, is another source of hope for the future.
Despite seven withdrawals due to injury before the tournament, the depth of the French bench was remarkable. At 23, Thibaud Briet is the successor of Nikola Karabatic at left-back. And when he injured his hand, Elohim Prandi took over. Gille was able to exploit the strength of his squad by rotating his team a lot. "No other nation has such a pool of players," said Philippe Gardent, who was the pivot for "les Barjots", the first French team to win the World Championship in 1995.
Drawing up the list of players for the Paris Olympics in 2024 will be a headache for Gille because that squad will only have room for 14 names (compared to 18 for a World Cup). If he is not injured, Nikola Karabatic will probably be on it, for the last major event in his long career.
With its victories in the last three World Championships, Denmark will be the favorite in the Paris Olympics in 18 months. As the home team, the French will be out for revenge and will also be shooting for Olympic gold. "The gap between the best nations is tiny," Gardent commented. "The French will be in the last four, but to think they will win because they're playing in Paris would be hubris."