Germany, Croatia in final

Germany eliminated defending world champions France in a tight semi-final on Saturday to set up a final against Croatia. Follow LIVE scoring right here, right now on eurosport.com.

Eurosport

Image credit: TNT Sports

Germany eliminated defending world champions France in a tight semi-final on Saturday to set up a final against Croatia. Follow LIVE scoring right here, right now on eurosport.com.
LISBON 2003: All the scores and standings from the Handball World Championships
Germany, beaten in the quarter-finals last year by France, gained revenge with a 23-22 win, while Croatia overcame Spain 39-37 in double overtime.
France led 16-12 with 20 minutes to go but were unable to halt a three-minute German surge that tied the match 16-16.
Germany were boosted by a fine display from goalkeeper Hennig Fritz, who kept France scoreless for 14 minutes and made 15 saves.
"We knew how to build an attacking game calmly and score goals," said German coach Heiner Brand.
"At the same time, our goalkeeper gave us confidence. He was decisive and helped us a lot in recovering in the second half."
Croatia, behind 14-9 at the break, fought back in the second half to earn a 26-26 tie at the end of regulation time. The two sides were tied again at 31-31 after the end of the first 10-minute overtime period, before Croatia eventually forged ahead in the second period.
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement