Find out what caught the attention of our specialist after the magnificent victory of Les Bleues over Sweden (37-28) this Friday in the semi-finals of the World Championship.
TOPS
Unreal first 20 minutes for France
Since the start of the competition, Olivier Krumbholz’s main regret was the rather complicated start to the match for his players. As if they were playing in diesel mode. Which was not the case in this semi-final, which the Blue took radically from the right end by producing a show of force on both sides of the field for almost twenty minutes. Between an impassable goalkeeper (Laura Glauser, see after), sharp rises of the ball and efficient shooting players, the Swedes were taking on water from all sides, forcing the Scandinavian coach to take two timeouts in 17 minutes of play, this which is very rare at this level of competition. As for the bill, it even reached ten units (13-3), an exceptional gap and already crippling for the Swedes.
Laura Glauser still on cloud nine
Impressive during the second half of the quarter-final won against the Czechs on Tuesday, Laura Glauser had obviously not come down from her cloud this Friday. Exceptional, the French goalkeeper started with a perfect five out of five against opposing shots. She then disgusted the Swedes, especially on the long shots which she read to perfection. And even if the rest was more “normal”, the native of Besançon finished the first act with an impressive 50% of saves, namely a 9 out of 18. At this level of the competition, being able to count on such a wall brings a real confidence in the entire defense. And in the end, as in the quarters, Laura Glauser would be voted player of the match with her 12 saves in total.
A gala Tamara Horacek
For a long time, Tamara Horacek was more of a good friend, in the role of substitute, than a major player within this France team. But with age (28 years) and the related maturity, the center half, originally from Croatia, takes on a new dimension within the collective. Valuable in defense, always in a good mood, efficient in the exercise of the seven-meter throw, the Nantes player is becoming more and more indispensable. Being in this semi-final, she undoubtedly offered her best performance in the selection with an almost perfect 9 out of 10 shooting, most of which in the second half, at times when Sweden threatened to come back. Before going back to the ropes. This is due to the efficiency of Tamara Horacek, now fully installed in the relay of Grace Zaadi, who was injured during this half. Before, his absence would have been detrimental. But not anymore, with the emergence of the sparkling Nantaise.
FLOPS
A bit too many lost balloons
At the end of such a controlled and exciting semi-final, it is difficult to find flops on the French side. It is barely possible to put the number of balls lost in the negative column – 13 – even if some were due to questionable refereeing decisions (in particular on two very severe force passes). Against Norway, the Blues will have to show the same rigor as a week ago against these same Scandinavians to avoid exposing themselves to the rapid and potentially devastating play of the reigning world champions.
The bankruptcy of the Swedes from afar
With the wings curled and the pivot often well taken, Sweden had no other choice but to rely on its rear base. Especially at the start of the match. With in the end a catastrophic success of 5 goals from 22 attempts from nine meters. Like star Jamina Roberts, who completely missed out on her semi-final with a 0 out of 4 from afar, barely compensated by three goals from closer range. To create spaces in the hermetic French defense, the Scandinavians would have had to rely on a much more intimidating strike power. But so much the better for the Blues, who are not for nothing in the difficulties of their opponents.