France qualified for their first ever Olympic final in the women’s handball competition, recording an incredible victory secured only in the final seconds in their semi-final against 2015 IHF Women’s World Championship silver medallists, the Netherlands. 

Future Arena, Thursday 18 August
Semi-final: Netherlands vs France 23:24 (13:17)

It was a completely different match from their opening clash in round one of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, though there was one key similarity – France won both games. This time however, the final score was rather different. In the match that saw both teams begin their Rio 2016 campaigns on August 6, France emerged with an 18:14 victory, and in the semi-final they secured a one-goal win in the last three seconds when Lois Abbingh hit the post on the final shot. 

In complete contrast with their round-one match, neither team were defensively strong early on – particularly France, who allowed the Netherlands to create a lead at 4:2 with two consecutive goals from left wing Martine Smeets before Allison Pineau added her second just before the clock showed five minutes (4:3). 

When Pineau tallied her third goal in the eighth on a penalty France levelled at 5:5, after which goalkeeper Amandine Leynaud saved an outside shot from Nycke Groot. France lost the ball on the next attack but when Netherlands goalkeeper Tess Wester tried to throw a fast break for Malestein it was intercepted by Pineau. France were clearly prepared for the Netherlands to run counter attacks and fast breaks, and limited their opportunities to do so significantly throughout the match. 

Alexandra Lacrabere shot over the Dutch defence and though the blocked was successful it ended with an unlucky rebound for Wester, as it bounced perfectly into the corner of the goal and gave France an advantage at 6:5 in the 10th. After the Netherlands levelled thanks to Laura van der Heijden (eight goals), France scored three consecutive goals – two from Lacrabere and one from Beatrice Edwige – that moved them ahead to a dangerous 9:6 lead, but by the 17th when van der Heijden scored her third the Dutch closed the difference to one at 9:10. 

With a fast break from van der Heijden the Netherlands equalised at 11:11, before France opened the three-goal difference again with goals from Lacrabere, Marie Prouvensier and Siraba Dembele (14:11) in the 24th. Niombla moved them further in front to 16:12 in the 27th, and they retained a four-goal advantage at the break. 

In the second half the Netherlands did just as France had in their quarter-final, slowly fighting their way back from the deficit created in the first period. Wester made a save off a penalty shot from Pineau (seven goals) in the 33rd, but the 2009 World Handball Player of the Year caught the rebound and converted it to a score of 18:14 for her team. 

That four-goal security did not last long – by the 40th the Netherlands were almost level, as Michelle Goos scored a fast break that closed the gap to 17:19. They came within one thanks to Lois Abbingh in the 47th (21:22), after which France coach Olivier Krumbholz changed goalkeeper Leynaud for Laura Glauser. 

In the same minute Lacrabere reclaimed the two-goal difference before Glauser made a save off Goos to keep the score at 21:23. Glauser became a big problem for the Netherlands as the clock ticked on, making four saves in the first 10 minutes she was on court to record an 80% rate for that period – having allowed only one goal from the Dutch. 

As the last five minutes of the game began France remained steady in front at 24:22, before van der Heijden scored a penalty in the 57th that decreased the score line to one (23:24). Glauser made yet another outstanding save, this time off a wing shot from Malestein, before Wester did the same on two consecutive attempts from France. 

The Netherlands moved into attack with less than 30 seconds left, as Gnonsiane Niombla immediately received a suspension that could have been the end of her team’s chances. A final time-out was called by Netherlands coach Henk Groener, and his team returned to the court with an additional attacker on court in place of Wester, making their last offence six versus four. 

Abbingh found a shooting opportunity with three seconds remaining, and when the ball hit the post France paused for a moment of disbelief before celebrating their first ever qualification for the women’s Olympic final. 

“I think we had three chances at end but the goalkeeper saved all of them. I think she was fantastic,” said Abbingh after the match. “Now it's a rough moment for us. But we still have a chance for a medal so we need to keep going.”