France – Norway 21-30
– This was a well-conducted match, but there is more to be gained. I reckon that France are eager for revenge for the next match on Tuesday, because we hope for more resistance than this, national team coach Thorir Hergeirsson told TV 2 after the match.
In the replay of last year’s European Championship final, Norway proved once again too strong for the French team. The victory was the fifth straight against French opposition.
In only the third international match of the year, it was without a doubt the Norwegian girls who proved to be the most in agreement.
Good defensive play by Norway provoked several technical errors from the French team. At the opposite end, the Norwegian handball girls lasted up with brilliant attacking play for 60 minutes.
– There has been a lot of drilling and training on one goal for ten days, so the players were fighting hungry today. It was noticeable. I noticed that the French girls are further away than expected, was the verdict from Hergeirsson after the match.
Norway did not give up until it was 30-21 on the scoreboard and showed with the dawning form before the Olympics in Tokyo breaks loose.
Norway in flames from the start
Marseillaisen barely seemed to be finished singing before Norway put their first and was ahead with five goals for the evening.
– It is brilliant what the handball girls do against France, TV 2’s commentator Harald Bredeli exclaimed at 7-2 to Norway during the first French time-out.
The gathering in ban did not immediately help a French team that barely finished on goal in the first 20 minutes.
– It’s almost like you have to pinch your arm a bit, it came from commentator Harald Bredeli at the position 12-4 to Norway after 19 minutes.
– They can smile and they can laugh, they can be happy. They have not only been lying on the beach, they have not only been standing on surfboards. They have actually trained handball while they have been in the south of France and out towards the Bay of Biscay, it sounded from TV 2’s expert commentator Bent Svele at the break.
Norwegian dominance
Norway continued the second round in the same track as in the first. If the match was not decided at the break, it was definitely decided after 40 minutes played.
Then the lead was eleven goals.
– It is almost unreal, Bredeli said before adding:
– This is ugly for France.
Nora Mørk, who has not played a national match since the European Championship final against France, showed, like the other players, good form with her six goals – as many as Camilla Herrem.
Particularly gratifying was the effort of the winger, according to the national team manager.
– Camilla has barely played games for Sola, but goes out against one of the world’s best teams and scores six goals and is brilliant.
Throughout the match, the national team coach used the opportunity to roll and tease the entire squad.
The Norwegian handball girls, on the other hand, did not let go of the accelerator for that reason. Norway continued the dominance match in what was a demonstration of power in the 30-21 victory against France.
– It is an excellent match by Norway. When they were allowed to speed up the ball, France simply did not agree, the verdict from TV 2’s handball expert Bent Svele was at the end of the match.
Hergeirsson also highlighted the goalkeepers and the defensive game as very gratifying, but warns the players against taking off.
– The last time we had such a good run-up, we struggled a lot in the Olympics in London. Then it went extremely slow in the beginning.
Norway will meet France again already on Tuesday in what will be the last private international match before leaving for the Tokyo Olympics. You can watch the match TV 2 Sport 2 or TV 2 Play from 18.55.
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