Five Rouge et Bleu in the World Championship final four

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In a breathtaking quarter-final round, five capital club playersbooked their place in the semi-finals of the World Championship. Here's a look at the results and their future opponents.

Heroic Luka Karabatic sends France into the semis

It was a match that Parisian fans were undoubtedly looking forward to, and the least we can say is that this clash between France and Egypt lived up to expectations (34-33). At the end of an intense battle, it was Les Bleus, with Elohim Prandi, Mathieu Grébille and Luka Karabatic all on hand, who triumphed over the Pharaohs, led by Yahia Omar (six goals). Qualification went down to the wire, or to be more precise, three tenths of a second. After keeping pace throughout the match, Egypt managed to level it up in the final second with a seven-man attack, and thought they had sent the match into extra time. But that was before Rémi Desbonnet's quick re-start for our Luka Karabatic. Using all his experience and expertise, the Rouge et Bleu captain held his nerve and found the back of the unguarded Egyptian net from the middle of the court.

In the semi-finals, Les Bleus face a major rival: Croatia - a handball classic that promises to set the Arena Zagreb alight. At home, the Croatians gave themselves a scare against Hungary (31-30). Trailing by four points with less than five minutes to go, Les Bleus' future opponents managed to turn the situation around in front of a raucous crowd, clinching qualification in the dying moments. On top of facing a giant of world handball on their home turf, our Parisians will also be taking on a future member of the capital club in Mateo Maraš, who will be joining the Paris squad this summer.

Denmark win outright and remain in the running to defend their title

Three-time champions Denmark are still in the running for a fourth world title. In Oslo, Jannick Green and his team showed no mercy against tournament revelations Brazil (33-21). Now the Scandinavians will have to measure themselves against a team that has been on the rise over the last year: Portugal. The Iberians confirmed their rise to prominence by taking the scalp of another huge team in the quarter-finals, Paulo Periera's men backing up wins over Norway and Spain by getting the better of Germany 31-30 after a breathtaking extra-time display.

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Une publication partagée par IHF (@ihfworldhandball)

The semi-finals

Thursday 30 January

21:00: France - Croatia, at the Zagreb Arena (Croatia)

Friday 31 January

20:30: Denmark - Portugal, at the Utility Arena in Oslo (Norway)

(Credits: IHF)