Paris 2024 | France keep perfect record as they cruise past Angola

With the fourth win in four matches, France secured their best-ever start at the Olympic tournament. This time, the title-holders, who had already reached the quarter-final before this game, proved too strong for Angola, 38:24, and secured the top position in Group B with one match to go. 

This was also France's second-largest win in history at the Olympics and the match in which they scored the largest number of goala.

PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES – PRELIMINARY ROUND
GROUP B
Angola vs France 24:38 (14:18)

The home side started to show their dominance from the very beginning, taking a commanding 7:2 lead 10 minutes into the game. France did a good job both in defence and attack, scoring from all angles and did not allowing Angola to show their quality.

However, the African champions, who could have sealed their quarter-final berth with a victory, continued to fight. After a timeout called by Carlos Viver, they improved their game and started to put more pressure on the favourites. Following a 3:0 run, Angola slashed the gap to 9:11, but while the French team looked a bit nervous and shot on goal too hastily, a string of Orlane Kanor’s goals helped them to end the first half with a comfortable four-goal advantage.

After the break, France picked up where they had left off and pulled clear at 22:15 in the 37th minute. Viver then asked for another timeout, but it did not help much this time, as the gap between the teams continued to increase. France simply had more options in attack, and as Olivier Krumbholz rotated his squad, all their 12 outfield players scored at least once. 

Orlane Kanor and Tamara Horacek were particularly clinical, scoring seven and six goals respectively with a 100% shooting efficiency, while Estelle Nze Minko improved her performance in the second half and netted five times. Goalkeeprs Laura Glauser and Cleopatre Darleux combined for 15 saves, and France ended the game with nine fast breaks, while Angola, who lacked the proper speed, had none - and it was also one of the factors which determined the hosts’ win, 38:24. 

France scored the largest number of goals in history in a single match at the Olympics, 38, and also secured the second-largest win in history in the competition, with the record set against Argentina at Rio 2016, 27:11, a 16-goal win, still standing.

Now France will try to extend their winning run in their last group match against the last-placed Spain on Saturday. On the same day, Angola will meet direct rivals Brazil in do-or-die game, in which even a draw will be enough for the Africans to progress.