In a record-setting surrounding, with 26.548 spectators attending the match, hosts and reigning Olympic champions France made another step towards their second straight Olympic title, as a hard-fought win against Germany helped them to secure a semi-final spot. In the next stage, the team coached by Olivier Krumbholz will meet Hungary or Sweden on Thursday. 

PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES
QUARTER-FINALS
France vs Germany 26:23 (13:10)

Following five consecutive victories at the preliminary stage, France were seen as overwhelming favourites against Germany, who squeezed into the quarter-final with just two points. And hardly anyone was surprised when the home team opened the score quickly, as Tamara Horacek found the net in the 45th second. 

But surprisingly, it was the only goal scored by both sides in the opening eight minutes. While the Germans were denied by Laura Glauser time after time, France, who had scored the biggest number of goals in the previous round, also lacked efficiency, as they had turnovers or shot wide.

Germany finally broke the deadlock in the ninth minute, when Xenia Smits drew level, before France had a 3:0 run to pull clear at 4:1. Glauser's further saves – she had eight before the break – lifted Krumbholz's team to a commanding 9:3 advantage midway through the first half, but the game was far from over.

The German defence did well, and goalkeeper Katharina Filter made some saves, as France, who lost too many balls, were denied a single goal for nearly 10 minutes. The inspired Germany used a 4:0 run to cut the gap to 7:9, and despite having a just 43% shooting efficiency in the opening 30 minutes, they continued to put pressure on the reigning Olympic champions.

Still, France were in front by three goals at the interval, and two goals by Laura Flippes after the restart extended their advantage to 15:10. But Germany refused to give up and shows a lot of fighting spirit, as an impressive 5:0 run helped them to draw level 10 minutes into the second half.

So this encounter was definitely not a walk in the park for the hosts, whose semi-final ticket was seriously in question during almost the entire game. Led by Tamara Horacek, who both scored and set up goals, France used a 3:0 run to pull ahead at 18:15, yet they did not feel safe as brave Germans continued to fight hard, capitalizing on their mistakes.

But while France did lack consistency in this match, they had enough individual quality, which helped the home team to ultimately down the tough German opposition. Horacek finished the game with seven goals, while Glauser had 13 saves for a 36% save efficiency, and when the French side moved the score from 23:21 to 25:21 with four minutes to go, the game was all but decided, as the hosts claimed their sixth straight win at Paris 2024, the only undefeated team in the competition.