The French prevailed over Sweden, the defending champions.
In a game with all the emotions a semi-final deserves, France secured the first spot in the European Handball Championship final, defeating Sweden 34-30 in overtime.
The French led for almost the entire game, reaching a seven-goal advantage and winning 17-11 at halftime. In the second half, however, Sweden, the defending champions, found strength and pride and made an incredible comeback.
With goalkeeper Andreas Palicka in great form – finishing with 15 saves, three of them from consecutive seven-meter free throws – the Swedes took the lead within the last 10 minutes (23-22) and with 30 seconds remaining, were winning 27-25.
However, in another impressive turnaround, Elohim Prandim tied the game with a nine-meter free throw after the 60 minutes of play had elapsed.
In overtime, the French team gave no chance and secured their place in the final scheduled for Sunday.
Earlier, Hungary beat Slovenia 23-22 in the fifth-place match, the best result ever for the Hungarian team, coached by Chema Rodríguez, former Benfica coach.
