– One of the really great triumphs in Norwegian handball history, this here, commented Max’s commentator Asbjørn Myhre. Sander Sagosen and Norway were in great form and shocked host nation France when they eventually won comfortably in Paris. – It is unreal. It’s such that you don’t believe it even after seeing it, TV 2’s handball commentator Harald Bredeli wrote on Twitter/X during the match. With that, Norway took a long step towards a quarter-final in Lille. – They served baguette with Nutella and croissant. They really put France in their place in this great room designed for French victory. Then the Norwegian guys just show where the cupboard should be. It is impressive, commented news expert Håvard Tvedten. SHOCKED THE HOME NATION: Norway shook the French. Photo: ARIS MESSINIS / AFP French favorites Norway came to the match after a comfortable victory over Argentina in the first match, but it was expected that host nation France would be a much tougher opponent. France is also the reigning EC and Olympic champion, but was occasionally outplayed by Denmark in the opening match. The hosts did not start impressively against Norway either, and the Norwegians took the lead early in the match. The keepers on both teams delivered a number of strong saves, but the opening from the Norwegian men was impressive. Tobias Grøndahl in particular was in great form and wreaked havoc with the French in the first half. Norway also defended very well against the home team. – There are some Norwegian Vikings standing in the way, said Tvedten. – There is zero respect! exclaimed an impressed Myhre. Stunned by the referee’s decision Nevertheless, France gave the Norwegian players a fight, and they gained an advantage of two minutes on the eve of the half. That prompted several experts to react. – You know what? They had blown off long before that offense happened and we get the replays here. There are no two minutes at all. It’s a bit like that when you lead against France in their own Olympics, then you get such a bang, said Tvedten. In the second half, it was the French who started best and showed the contours of a turnaround, but after a tough period, Sagosen and co responded. masterful. Sæverås stood masterfully in goal and Simen Lyse, Sander Sagosen and Grøndahl scored on a number of rushes. The defense also made a big impression. – The French have no solutions now, said Gjekstad. At least it didn’t last for the home nation, who had to realize that the Olympics’ second loss was a fact. Norway, for its part, has had a perfect start to the Olympics with two out of two possible victories. Published 29/07/2024, at 20.29 Updated 29.07.2024, at 20.35
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