The Euro is open! The French team launched the tournament on Wednesday with a clear victory over modest North Macedonia (39-29). More than 53,000 spectators were expected for this match in the Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, an unprecedented crowd for a handball match at world level.
The Macedonians offered good resistance as they led by two goals after a quarter of an hour of play (8-10). In the wake of Dylan Nahi, the Blues nevertheless put the dots on the i’s as the clock progressed. Nicolas Tournat also took the opportunity to reach the mark of 200 goals scored in the rooster jersey.
Semi-finalists of the previous edition, Guillaume Gille’s players now have an appointment with Switzerland on Sunday (6 p.m.), then with the host country, Germany, next Tuesday (4 p.m.). The top two in each group will advance to the next round.