The group stage of the 16th European Handball Championship has concluded, with France overcoming Hungary 35:32, paving the way for Germany’s semifinal spot, following Croatia’s earlier 30:1 victory in their prestige match.

Dominik Kuzmanović excelled in that match, setting a new Euro record with 22 incredible saves!

Austria celebrated France’s victory, bringing them closer to Olympic qualification.

This requires Egypt to defeat Tunisia tomorrow in the African Championship semifinals and subsequently maintain their title on Saturday.

If successful, this will open a qualifying spot for Austria, as Slovenia could then take the tenth position from the World Championship rather than competing for fifth place in the EHF Euro.

With France’s success, Croatia and Portugal are also now assured spots in the Olympic qualifiers.

Iceland made a commendable effort, defeating Austria 26:24, but it proved insufficient.

The “Fishermen” needed a five-goal margin to secure a second-place finish in the round alongside Hungary and Austria, or clinch fourth overall in the group.

Ultimately, they ended up in fifth place, trailing behind Hungary and Austria…

Goalkeeper Christopher Mestl played a crucial role, making 20 saves against the Icelandic team and leaving Aleš Pajović’s side anxiously waiting for the match between France and Hungary, along with the outcome of the African Championship…

France’s victory was largely facilitated by Guillaume Žil’s squad, who maintained control throughout. The standout players were left-handed sharpshooters Nedim Remili with seven goals and Dika Mem with six, as the Hungarian side was led by pivots Bence Banhidi and Mikloš Rošta with five apiece.

Currently, France holds a spot in the Olympic Games as the host nation, Denmark as the reigning world champion, Japan as the Asian qualifying tournament winner, and Argentina as Pan American Games champion.

This Saturday, the African champion will secure the fifth spot to Paris, while Europe’s representation will depend on whether Sweden or Germany achieves a better ranking at the EHF Euro.

From April 14 to 17, three qualifying tournaments will take place to finalize the last six participants. Once the African and European championships conclude, the complete list of attendees will be determined…

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