A look back at our Rouge et Bleus' Euro campaign

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After EHF Euro 2024 ended with Elohim Prandi and Nikola and Luka Karabatic's France side being crowned champions, we take a look back at the performances of all the capital club players who turned out for their respective countries.

LES BLEUS ON TOP

With three Rouge et Bleu among their number, France went all the way at EHF Euro 2024. From the opening match against Northern Macedonia, in front of a record 53,000 spectators, to the Final at the buzzing Lanxess Arena, our three Parisians flew the colours of France and the capital club. For his last Euro, Nikola Karabatic once again added to his legend. At one point, he was the competition's all-time top scorer before being caught at the last minute by former Parisian Mikkel Hansen… but this did nothing to stop our number 44 winning his fourth European title - as many as France has won in its entire history.

As captain for both club and country, Luka Karabatic once again showed all his experience and leadership skills to lead Les Bleus to the title. A key member of the France team, the 35-year-old pivot reinvigorated his team-mates when their backs were against the wall. Luka even found the back of the net on six occasions.

For his part, Elohim Prandi has undoubtedly written his name in the history of the competition. He may not be one of France's top scorers (22 goals), but he undoubtedly scored the two most important goals for Les Bleus over the course of the tournament. It's impossible not to mention the sensational buzzer-busting free-throw that sent the match against Sweden into extra time. It was a stroke of brilliance that undoubtedly gave Guillaume Gille's men that extra bit of spirit to reach the final. The final match saw our number 71 once again shine, notably winning the ball back to great effect in the last minute of the game.

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ANDREAS PALICKA, THE KEY TO SWEDEN'S SUCCESS

Andreas Palicka has been the driving force behind the capital club's fine start to the season, and he has also been at the top of his game for Sweden. Competing with the talented Tobias Thulin, the 37-year-old goalkeeper proved that he is still one of the best in his position. With 76 saves in seven matches (at a 37% clip), he ranks fourth, behind only Germany's Andreas Wolff (92 saves in nine matches), Austria's Christian Möstl (81 saves in seven matches) and Denmark's Emil Nielsen (78 saves in nine matches).

Named match MVP on three occasions - including the semi-final loss to Les Bleus (14 saves at 44%) and the bronze medal match against Germany (19 saves at 44%) - Andreas proved to be the Scandinavians' main threat. In an all-important final match against Germany, the Parisian custodian once again pulled out all the stops to help his side win, thereby validating their ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

MATHÉ DECISIVE IN MAGYAR ODDYSSEY

In a Euro that provided a number of surprises, Hungary were one of the standout performers. Two years after being eliminated in the preliminary round despite their status as host nation, the Magyars secured fifth place in the tournament by overcoming Slovenia (23-22) in the play-off match. Although he missed the last three games through injury, Dominik Mathé was decisive when Chema Rodriguez could count on him. In five games played, the capital club right-back scored 14 goals, converting 58% of his attempts.

LUC STEINS, PLAYING FOR THE TEAM

A symbol of the Netherlands' progress at recent international tournaments, Luc Steins once again flew the Oranje colours with style. The Parisian centre-half was voted MVP of the match between the Dutch and Andreas's Sweden, despite the narrow 29-28 defeat. Against the reigning European champions, Luc was once again decisive, either scoring or providing assists for his team-mates, notably future Rouge et Bleu Dani Baijens (26 goals), with whom he formed an exceptional duo throughout the tournament. The proof is in the pudding, as our No.6 ranks second on the assists table with 41 in seven matches.

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THE REINFORCEMENT: KENT ROBIN TONNESEN

Kent Robin Tonnesen was called up during the competition to compensate for Magnus Rod's injury. Although Norway failed to qualify for the last four of the competition, the right-back was decisive in the two games he played, against the Netherlands (three goals) and Denmark (three goals).

KAMIL SYPRZAK DECISIVE - BUT POWERLESS FOR POLAND

Having been eliminated from the preliminary round of EHF Euro 2024, Poland have many regrets. Defeated by Norway (32-21) and powerless against Slovenia (25-32), the Poles woke up too late against the Faroe Islands (32-28). As efficient as ever with 14 goals, Kamil Syprzak (82% success rate) brought the finishing but it was not enough to secure qualification for the main round.

(Credits: EHF Euro)