Two from two!
On Saturday night, France got the better of Serbia (32-21) in their second 2019 World Cup outing.
As was the case 24 hours earlier against Brazil (24-22), the match got off to a quiet start (7’: 2-4)… but once again The Experts had the excellent Vincent Gérard to rely on in goal. Thanks to numerous feats of skill from the future Parisian - and a double from our right-back Nedim Remili - Les Bleus took the lead and made the break (24’: 11-9). The lead grew further just before half-time when Luc Abalo capped a swift counter-attack with a precision strike (15-12).
A la pause, @Nedim_Remili, @lucabalo, @LKARABATIC_Off & la @FRAHandball sont en tête ! #handball19 https://t.co/ZnkyL1grCL
— PSG Handball (@psghand) 12 janvier 2019
Didier Dinart's men continued to push in the second half, Nedim (5 from 7) still in fine form while Luka Karabatic followed suit (43’: 23-15). The reigning World Champions - with the injured Nikola Karabatic urging them on from stands of the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin - had definitively found their rhythm and they refused to let up before the final buzzer sounded, putting their timid start behind them to maintain their perfect record at the tournament (32-21).
Félicitations à @Nedim_Remili, @lucabalo, @LKARABATIC_Off & la @FRAHandball pour leur victoire, sous les yeux de @NKARABATIC ! #Handball19 https://t.co/ZWO8NgvANV
— PSG Handball (@psghand) 12 janvier 2019
The win takes France level with Uwe Gensheimer's Germany atop the Group A table, building the buzz ahead of Thursday's headline clash between the two nations. Before then, Les Bleus take on Unified Korea on Monday evening.
(Credits: J. Azouze/PSG)