AFP - France has been crowned world champion in handball for the fourth time in its history, beating Denmark 37-35 after extra time in the World Cup final-2011, Sunday in Malmo.
Shaken ever since the tournament began, the Blues have overcome the equalization of Denmark at 31-31 with four seconds remaining in regulation time to talk about their experiences in overtime.
France had already won in the same conditions the final of 2001 World Championship in Paris against Sweden.
It Nikola Karabatic, voted best player of the tournament before the final, which was the major player in the French success with 10 goals, but the captain Jerome Fernandez who proved decisive with two goals late on capital .
The scenario of this crazy fantasy game just adds to the happiness of players Claude Onesta which base a little place more marked in the legend of the sport.
For this fourth world title after the 1995, 2001 and 2009, allowing them to join Sweden and Romania on the list.It is also the fourth major title in a row for the Blues after their victories in the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the World-2009 and Euro-2010, a fourfold increase ever.
In total, France has now seven major titles.Have managed to raise in just sixteen years testifies to the meteoric rise of a team that, thirty years ago still remain constant in third world division.
Qualified for the Olympics
Another remarkable fact, France has lost one of its eight major finals, the first in the World-1993, before winning the next seven.
This new title offers the Blues as the direct qualification for the London Olympics in 2012 and the next World Cup that will take place next year in Spain, a significant luxury for players in high demand.
In Sweden, players Claude Onesta, performed a flawless, winning nine out of ten matches, conceding only one draw in the first round to Spain, who took the bronze medal Sunday.
They flew the second phase, beating Hungary, Norway and Iceland to reach their eighth final four in a row in a big tournament.They have dominated the other two Scandinavian teams with Sweden, beaten 29-26 in the semifinals Friday, and Denmark on Sunday.
Doubt, however, was allowed in early tournament with the absences of two major players of previous campaigns, Daniel Narcisse and Guillaume Gille.
But the absences were offset by two youths who have successfully completed an amazing World, and especially William Accambray Xavier Barachet, author of a new great game in the final.
In the finals, the Blues were pushed into a corner by a generous Danish team, led by its star Mikkel Hansen, a diabolical efficiency (10 goals) and has successfully completed a second period of great beauty.
Led 15-12 at the break, Denmark returned to the tune of the Blues to a quarter of an hour remaining. And while France had recovered a goal ahead, the Scandinavians have equalized by Bo Spellenberg four seconds of the term in a crazy atmosphere, punctuated by the Danish and Swedish supporters.
A first world title seemed so close at hand for Denmark, beaten in the final in 1967.But then the Blues have shown what was their strength: self-control, and physical experience enabled them to control the extension in which they were conducted for the first time in the match (32-33) before ending on a 5 - 2 full of panache.
Thus ensuring a fourth coronation is also the third world title for Didier Dinart staff, Jerome Fernandez and Thierry Omeyer, already there in 2001 in 2009 and have already promised to continue at least until the London Olympics .
