A rebirth and a formidable snub to the most pessimistic.
Criticized after its two disappointing results against Serbia in qualifying for Euro 2022, the French team, victorious (28-24) with the manner of Norway, made an impression on Thursday when it entered the World Championship in Egypt, without Nikola Karabatic.
Guillaume Gille's men are not yet gods, but they are no longer afraid of (re) becoming him.
In the aftermath of this shattering success against one of the favorites of the competition, and who no longer has the right to make mistakes in Group E (which also includes Austria and Switzerland), the Blues have a new face.
"Everyone saw the ability of the players to perform well and to respond present," said Guillaume Gille, who won his first success at the head of the team.
The expectations, which concerned commitment, aggressiveness and mastery of the project, were respected.
I feel that the group has entered this competition.
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"We no longer had a choice"
It was necessary not to remain on a new very bad impression after the bitter failure of Euro 2020 (elimination in the 1st round and 14th place in the end).
“Perhaps it was a little fear that pushed us to launch without thinking or asking questions, says Luka Karabatic.
We no longer had a choice.
There are still plenty of things to improve but, in any case, the state of mind and fighting spirit have helped us a lot.
These are always the important ingredients to achieve great things.
We were efficient in defense, with a great Wesley (Pardin) behind, we remained compact and strong in our duels.
We have put a lot of desire and application in this sector.
But this is only a starting point.
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Of course, it is still far too early to speak of a resurrection when only one match has been played.
Michaël Guigou, who will celebrate his 39th birthday the day after the quarter-final (the 27th), reflects the state of mind that has reigned in this French team since his arrival at the foot of the Pyramids: “We were not proud of what we did against Serbia, says the new captain.
We wanted to show another face against a formidable opponent who represented another challenge, at a better level.
We will rely on this match, and on those against Serbia.
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Barring an accident, we will therefore have to rely on the Blues for the rest of the competition.
To access the main round, they must now drive the point home against Austria this Saturday (6 p.m.) before challenging Switzerland, called up to replace the United States, on Monday.