– We have the knife to the throat – VG

– It is not alpha omega for the continuation, but we have the knife to the throat for the last two games of the group match. We have to win the rest of our matches, now we have our loss, says Sander Sagosen to VG after the loss.

Switzerland and Austria await the next two games of the group stage. Sagosen receives support from national team coach Christian Berge on the situation following Thursday’s loss.

– It’s like he says, we have the knife to our throat, says Berge about the situation.

It was the French who got their best start here at the “Dr. Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall”, an hour’s drive on a very busy road from downtown Cairo. Led by long-haired Kentin Mahé (29), the white jerseys quickly rose to 4-1.

For Norway, little worked except for Sander Sagosen. The best player in the world kept the handball boys in the game with seven goals in eight attempts and three assists in the first half alone. In total, Trøndelag ended up with 10 acquaintances online.

But the French were heroic and fought intensely both in attack and defense. A newly composed team without several of the biggest stars of the last decade, such as Nikola Karabatic (36) at home, would clearly show that they can also be counted on in this championship.

– It was fun to start with the championship, but of course it’s a shame there is a loss. We collapsed a bit in the second round and made it difficult for ourselves, says Torbjørn Bergerud to VG.

– We fell behind from the beginning. We can never set the attacking game, Harald Reinkind continues.

– The effort was there, but the skills were not there, unfortunately. More people have to sign up to beat a team like France, says Gøran Johannessen.

See the highlights of the match here:

Nervedrama

Before the game, national team coach Christian Berge (47) spoke that Norway would probably score enough goals to win the game. Instead, he emphasized that they had to be particularly skilled on defense to stop France’s athletic and offensive line.

It worked far from optimal. With 10 minutes on the clock, Norway was down 20-23.

Offensively, Norway had a lot of trouble at the right-back position, where Harald Reinkind was benched for a period after scoring in just two of eight attempts.

At the same time, French goalkeeper Wesley Pardin (31) gradually grew to be as big as a living wall. Not only did he stop Reinkind repeatedly, but the usually very precise edges Magnus Jøndal and Kristian Bjørnsen noted that Pays d’Aix UC’s last chance was ruined.

Smell of storm

Norway started with Torbjørn Bergerud in goal, Bjørnsen and Jøndal at the edges, Reinkind, Sagosen and Gøran Johannessen at the back, as well as Petter Øverby on the defensive line and Bjarte Myrhol on offense. The loss of Magnus Abelvik Rød was great.

Evid Tangen was among the players who had the opportunity throughout the match, but he could not influence the outcome of the match either.

Until then, France was too good and Norway too weak at the crucial moments. Thus, the white jerseys of coach Guillaume Gille (44) have had a dream start in Egypt, while Norway now have to face Switzerland on Saturday. The latter arrived in Egypt just 24 hours before Thursday’s game against Austria, after replacing an American team beaten by the crown.

The Swiss responded just as well by winning the opening match 28-25.