TOKYO 2020: France and Spain made their way to the semifinals!
In the opening quarterfinal match at the Olympics, France had an easy job against Bahrain, 42:28 (21:14), while Spain won another thriller and also advanced to the semis. European champion defeated Sweden 34:33 (18:20), even though they were down four (29:25), 12 minutes before the end.
France will face the better side from the Germany-Egypt clash, while Spain’s opponent will be Denmark or Norway.
France – Bahrain 42-28 (21-14)
France: Kentin Mahe 9, Dika Mem 5, Nicolas Tournat 5, Nedim Remili 4, Melvyn Richardson 3, Luc Abalo 3, Michael Guigou 3, Valentin Porte 3, Luka Karabatic 2, Ludovic Fabregas 2, Nikola Karabatic 2, Romain Lagarde 1.
Bahrain: Husain Alsayyad 5, Ali Eid 4, Ali Merza 4, Mohamed Ahmed 4, Ahmed Almaqabi 3, Hasan Ali 2, Ahmed Fadhul 2, Mohamed Mohamed 2, Hasan Alsamahiji 1, Mohamed Ali 1
Sweden – Spain 33-34 (20-18)
Sweden: Hampus Wanne 10, Fredric Pettersson 6, Jim Gottfridsson 5, Felix Claar 3, Jonathan Carlsbogard 3, Albin Lagergren 2, Niclas Ekberg 2, Andreas Palicka 1, Max Darj 1.
Spain: Aleix Gomez 8, Raul Entrerrios 5, Alex Dujshebaev 5, Daniel Sarmiento 4, Adrian Figueras 4, Antonio Garcia 2, Eduardo Gurbindo 2, Angel Fernandez 2, Miguel Sanchez 1, Jorge Maqueda 1.
Photo: IHF