Egypt’s handball team narrowly lost to France in a dramatic quarterfinal match, falling just short of forcing extra time. Despite a late goal from Yahia Omar that tied the game, a swift response from French goalkeeper Remi Desbonnet allowed Luka Karabatic to score the winning goal with just 0.3 seconds left, sealing a 34-33 victory for France. The Egyptians were left heartbroken, reflecting on their string of near misses in crucial moments.
Egypt Falls Just Short Against France in Heartbreaking Quarterfinal
The Egyptian handball national team came agonizingly close to pushing the World Cup co-favorite France into extra time. While the French celebrated a remarkable victory, Egypt found itself in tears after a narrow loss in the quarterfinals.
A Tale of Two Teams: From Triumph to Heartbreak
Just months earlier, the German national team stunned the French by sending them packing in a dramatic finish during the Olympic quarterfinals in Lille. With almost 30,000 spectators watching, Renars Uscins scored a last-minute goal, abruptly ending France’s aspirations for Olympic glory. Fast forward five months, and now it’s the French who are the heartbreakers, leaving Egypt to grapple with their own painful exit.
Leading 33-32, the highly favored French seemed to be on the brink of victory when the African champions made a late surge. Yahia Omar broke through the French defense and scored a goal with just five seconds remaining, tying the game at 33-33. The French had dominated for most of the match, but the Egyptians kept mounting a comeback. As time wound down, it appeared that extra time was on the horizon, reminiscent of the earlier match in Lille.
This match took a different turn, however, as French goalkeeper Remi Desbonnet displayed remarkable reflexes, retrieving the ball and quickly passing it to Luka Karabatic. The pivot launched the ball toward the Egyptian goal, while goalkeeper Karim Hendawy, who had just returned to the net, could only watch in despair. The moment the ball crossed the line, the final whistle blew, sealing France’s victory at 34-33. The French celebrated, while the Egyptians were left devastated on the court. Video evidence confirmed the heartbreaking reality for the underdogs: just 0.3 seconds separated them from extra time.
“I’m fed up,” expressed Egyptian player Mohammad Sanad, reflecting on the repeated near misses. “It can’t be,” he lamented, recalling past quarterfinal losses, including a narrow defeat against Spain at the Olympics and another against Denmark in a previous World Championship. “Always goals in the last second. I don’t understand it, I don’t know what’s going on…” As Seif Elderaa received his award for ‘Player of the Match,’ he couldn’t contain his emotions, breaking down in tears over the crushing loss.