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JO: Amandine Leynaud: "We are still not bad in team sports in France"

2021-08-04T15:46:32.016Z


Exceptional in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands (32-22), the goalkeeper of the French handball team shared her feelings about this success, and those of other team sports.


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Amandine, how did you experience this match during which you personally disgusted the Dutch with your 22 saves?


Amandine Leynaud:

My partners have helped me a lot. When I saw the start of the match, I immediately felt that the girls read perfectly what the Dutch were up to, making them stammer on their commitments. They didn't have very easy shots, although they are fantastic shooters. Tactically, we were really good and that's good to see. Afterwards, as far as I am concerned, the good start of my partners allowed me to quickly make a few stops which gave me confidence for the future. Behind, I could read all the situations and it's a very cool feeling to experience.

Was it difficult to stay focused and not get excited?


We started so well that behind, we knew there was going to be a reaction. It is still an Olympic quarter-final and the teams do not give up like that. So yes, between us, we said not to ignite but it is more said to be said. Everyone knew it. We have been ahead in quite a few matches and it's not easy to keep the same level from the first to the last minute. In the second half, the Dutch tried to come back, they believed it a bit at one point but we held them really high. And I have the feeling that we lost fewer balls, so we ended up extinguishing them to win with a fairly huge score at this level, against such a team.

Your last matches show a real rise in power for the France team ...


From the inside, I have felt a rise in power since the start. We had a very, very complicated hen. Each time, it was tight, we had to fight, the girls took hits… So I'm really proud of the team for that. What happens between us is work, more work and always work. And inevitably, at some point, this work pays off. I am really happy that this has been seen tonight.

You seemed in trouble at the start of the tournament. How did you manage to bounce back?


I don't know if I was in trouble. I think like everyone else, I am gradually gaining strength. We manage to find each other. Everyone is at 2000% but sometimes it happens to be less good a game.

How do you see Sweden, your opponent in the semi-finals?


For me, their quarter-final against South Korea is not revealing because they faced a totally atypical defense. They have scored the vast majority of their goals on the ball. This will have to be countered. We managed to do it well in the group stage (28-28) and I hope we can still do it a tone above in this semi-final. This will allow us to have a very engaged match.

A word about the success of French team sports with five semi-finals to come…


Yes, we met the basketball players before coming to the stadium and we encouraged them from afar. We also saw the basketball players, the handball players of course… When I see that, I tell myself that we are still not bad in team sports in France.

Source: lefigaro

All sports articles on 2021-08-04

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