Euro 2024 handball. “We consider it a defeat”: reactions after the draw between France and Switzerland in the preliminary round

Guillaume Gille's French team failed to take the measure of Switzerland. Eibner-Pressefoto – Eibner-Pressefoto/Marcel von Fehrn

The players and staff of the France team were inevitably a little disappointed with the Blues' draw against Switzerland (26-26), Sunday January 14 during the second day of the preliminary round of the ;Euro 2024 handball in Germany.

Dika Mem, right back of the France team: "It's not a defeat, but we consider it a defeat, because we weren'not expecting that at all tonight. I don't want to devalue the Swiss game, they played well, they had a lot of saves, and we were less good than usual, but that's part of the game.

Also read: Euro 2024 handball. "A real alert" : hung by Switzerland, France sees its qualification for the main round being weighed down ?

We're still alive, so there's no problem (…) That doesn't worry me, obviously it's going to be harder (Tuesday against Germany, editor's note), because we are playing a home team, but we are used to these matches. We did it last year in Sweden (beaten by the Blues in the semi-final of the 2023 World Cup, editor's note)."

Guillaume Gille, coach of the French team: "Our difficulties are linked to quality pass from Andy Schmid, who is still a special player at this level. He has a quality of releasing the ball which is quite particular. There aren't many guys playing like that. Even if, of course, we were aware of this type of pass and his way of playing, we inevitably noticed that we had a lot of difficulty stopping him and making his ratio lower.< /p>

In this match, we never managed to get the ball rolling. I have the impression that we have always been looking for our rhythm. And this lack of rhythm, perhaps it costs us a slightly easier victory in the end."

Ludovic Fabregas, pivot of the French team: "It's a shame to have only taken one point. But once again, is it a point lost or a point gained ? We will know when we do the accounts.

And it all depends on what we can produce in two days against Germany. If it can be a wake-up call and get us started, that would be all the better. If this is the start of something that creaks a little, that would be damaging."