Reigning Olympic champions France are staying in the race for another Olympic title, after their 24:20 win in a do-or-die match, against Hungary, which are now eliminated.

PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES – PRELIMINARY ROUND
GROUP В
Hungary vs France 20:24 (8:14)

Even a draw would have been enough for France in this match, as they had one point more than Hungary, who only needed a victory to get through. The Hungarians had lost three matches at Paris 2024, but none of them by more than three goals, so they were expected to fight hard.

However, it was France who took an early control of the game, loudly supported by their devoted fans. 10 minutes into the match, the hosts were up 5:2, and they continued to dominate. Goalkeeper Vincent Gerard played a superb first half, delivering seven saves for a 47 saving efficiency, while Hugo Descat led the home side in attack, converting all his four attempts before the break.

In the 21st minute, France led 8:4, but when Hungary replaced goalkeeper Kristof Palasics by Roland Mikler, the hosts started to struggle in attack. Yet although Mikler saved thee of four shots before the break, Hungary were still losing by three goals after 30 minutes.

The things changed after the restart, as Mikler continued to deliver a great performance between the posts. Overall, he made nine saves for a 39% efficiency, and his heroics helped Hungary to fight back into the game.

In the 42th minute, Mate Lekai gave the Hungarians their first lead in the encounter, 17:16, and then Bence Imre, who went on to become his team's leading scorer with six goals, increased his team's advantage to two goals. Yet France drew level, and the sides were tied at 19:19 with 10 minutes to play.

But then Hungary were unable to score for nearly seven minutes, as their turnovers combined with some excellent defence by France helped the home side to take a 23:19 lead. That successful run ultimately proved crucial, as Hungary had no time for making a strong comeback, so the French were delighted to reach the quarter-finals.

Gerard ended the game with a 37% save rate, while Elohim Prandi became France's top scorer with seven goals. After two losses to start the competition, the home team claimed five points in their last three matches, and now they will be up against Germany in the quarter-final.