France Dominates Handball World Championship With Heavy Defeat
Hungary’s men’s handball team faced a tough loss to defending European champions France in the first round of the World Championship semifinals. The final score was 37-30 in favor of France, with Hungary struggling to take the lead throughout the match.
The game was largely decided in the first ten minutes, with Hungary making several mistakes in the attack that France capitalized on. Despite efforts from the Hungarian captain to make time-outs and substitutions, the French team maintained their lead. By halftime, France led 23-15, with six more shots on goal and fewer mistakes than Hungary.
Despite Hungary’s strong defense throughout the World Cup, the gap continued to widen in the second half, with France dominating their attacks and making strategic substitutions. Eventually, Hungary fell short by ten goals, with Roland Mikler making three saves and Kristóf Palasics with ten. Máté Lékai scored five goals for Hungary, while Dika Mem led the scoring for France with six goals.
After the match, Hungary’s national team coach, Chema Rodríguez, expressed his dissatisfaction with the team’s performance, citing attitude as a key issue. He emphasized the importance of giving 100 percent effort, especially against strong opponents like France.
Looking ahead, Hungary aims to reach the quarterfinals and will face Austria next in the semifinals. Despite the loss to France, Hungary finished the group stage at the top of the table with two wins and a draw. The team is determined to bounce back and secure their spot in the last eight of the World Championship.
