Before the game, France and Hungary were the only unbeaten sides in group I, with the co-hosts in the lead due to a better goal difference. Both teams showcased their quality on the court with spectacular goals and impressive tactics, but in the end it was France who claimed the top spot.
GROUP I
Hungary vs France 27:30 (13:13)
- Grace Zaadi Deuna lit up the scoreboard after two minutes with the first goal of the match; lots of defensive movement from France kept the co-hosts goalless until the eighth minute, when Katrin Klujber netted from a seven-metre shot
- the world champions kept on growing the lead to 10:6 in the 22nd minute; it all changed after Vlagyimir Golovin called Hungary’s second timeout, increasing the pace in attack and narrowing the gap to level the game two minutes before the break
- the end of the first half was a roller-coaster, with Zsófi Szemerey blocking some crucial shots — and even scoring once — and Viktória Gyori-Lukács netting her third and fourth goals to keep the balance at 13:13
- Sebastien Gardillou decided to rely on Hatadou Sako between the posts after the break, and the French goalkeeper immediately blocked two shots to help her team get the lead
- Gréta Juhász played her first match for Hungary at the EHF EURO 2024 and managed to find the net twice
- with nine goals scored — seven of them from penalty throws — Katrin Klujber was crowned Player of the Match, presented by Grundfos
France’s stars shine bright in Debrecen
With their 90th EHF EURO match, France ended their stay in Hungary with a perfect winning streak and as undeniable leaders of group I. Pauletta Foppa and Chloé Valentini led the way to France’s success against the co-hosts, with five goals out of six shots each.
In a squad filled with plenty of big names, Estelle Nze Minko stands out after scoring her 150th goal for France in the competition. She ended the game with a tally of 151, just three goals shy of the country’s all-time EHF EURO scorer Alexandra Lacrabère.
Grace Zaadi Deuna is also getting closer to a notable milestone of her career, as the centre back has her chance to score her 100th EHF EURO goal for France in Vienna — her total is currently at 98.
France played really good today and it was a pretty hard game against us, we tried something to get out of this match and I'm really sorry that we didn't manage to stop them and stop their fast play. But our fans was with us as always and they helped us in so many battles.
Losing now would have been a little tough on our confidence. We wanted to go to the semi-finals full with energy and we'd been doing right all the way, even though it doesn't mean anything and every game is a new game. But I think we can learn a lot from this game. Plus, even though we won, we also made mistakes and there's a lot to take from this game and take it to the semi-finals.
