[Sport] France does not stop, Sweden warns and Norway complies to close the first phase of the World Cup

[#Steeven.™]

The French team closed the first phase of the World Cup in Egypt with victories, after beating Switzerland 25-24 on Monday, on a day in which Sweden issued a serious warning by defeating the hosts 24-23 and Norway did not he failed and certified his pass to the next inning after beating Austria 38-29.

A qualification for the next round that France already had assured before starting the day, which did not prevent Guillaume Gille's men from adding another victory, in a clash that was overshadowed by the injury of goalkeeper Wesley Pardin. The French goalkeeper, who dazzled on the first day against Norway, had to leave the track twenty minutes into the first half in the arms of his teammates Luka Karabatic and Valentin Porte, after damaging his knee.

Circumstance that did not prevent the French team from taking a long-suffering victory against Switzerland, thanks in large part to the good work of Vincent Gerard, who replaced Pardin with an outstanding success under the sticks. In fact, Gerard, who closed the match with 42 percent of saves, avoided with his interventions the tie of the Helvetian team, in a vibrant final of the game in which France was on the verge of letting the income of two goals escape (25 -23) with which he faced the last minute and a half of the game. But Switzerland, where center-back Andy Schmid, who scored ten goals, once again crashed into the French goalkeeper, who finally sealed the French victory (25-24) with a stop in the last second at Medhi Ben Romdhane's shot.

 

Norway complied
A victory that will allow France to access the second round, in which they will face Portugal, Iceland and Algeria, with a total of four points, two more than Norway, another of the great favorites for gold, which had to wait for the last day to mathematically seal your classification. An obligation that did not prevent the Norwegian coach Christian Berge from giving rest to the great star of the Nordic team, central Sander Sagosen, who 'only' played thirty-two minutes, after playing practically the two previous games against France and Austria.

Enough time for Sagosen to shoot up to nine goals and seven assists, in a clash the Norwegians finally broke in the first ten minutes of the second half (30-21). And it is that Norway has a long road ahead, starting with a second phase, in which Portugal is emerging as the main rival of the Norwegians and French in the fight for the two places that give access to the quarterfinals.

 

Portugal passes undefeated
The Portuguese team, the great revelation of the European past, added its third consecutive victory and certified its classification with full points, like France, after beating Algeria 26-19 on Monday, in a clash in which Portugal did not give option to the North African set. The Icelandic teams will accompany Portugal in the second phase from group F, which beat Morocco 31-23 in a clash in which the young center-back Gisli Kristjansson left very good details, and Algeria, who achieved qualification thanks to the triumph that he achieved on the first day over the Moroccan team.

Sweden also makes full ... in extremis
For its part, Sweden issued a serious warning, after beating Egypt 24-23 on Monday, led by Spanish coach Roberto García Parrondo, which will allow the Scandinavians to access the second phase with full points. Advantage that the Swedish team won, after beating the hosts in a duel in which, after marching for forty-four minutes behind on the scoreboard, they ended up imposing their greater depth on the bench in the final stretch.

Thanks to the presence of players such as goalkeeper Mikael Aggefors, who with his not very numerous but important saves, allowed the Swedish team to take advantage of the moments in which Egypt had to rest its key pieces. A fact that did not prevent the African team, which left a magnificent stamp in the first half, from having one last ball to tie, which Aggefors stopped the winger Hassan Kaddah.

 

North Macedonia leaves Chile out
North Macedonia will also be in the second phase, which snatched Chile the last ticket in play in group G, after beating the South American team 32-29, in a match that the Macedonians, led by a great Kiril Lazarov, author of eight goals, broke in their favor with a partial of 5-1 measured the second half.

A second turn in which Sweden, Egypt and Macedonia will face the teams of Russia, Belarus and Slovenia, semifinalists in the last European, which made up for the defeat they conceded against Russia last day, with a victory (29- 25) on the Belarusian team. Triumph in which the culés Blaz Janc, author of eight goals, and Jure Dolenec, who added one less, played a fundamental role, who signed more than half of the goals of the Slovenian team.

A victory that will allow those from Ljubomir Vranjes to start the second round with two points, one less than Russia, who with their homework already done, let themselves be carried away in their match against South Korea, as demonstrated by the scarce four goals (26-30 ) for which he defeated the very young Asian team.