France wins first leg of World Cup qualification play-offs against the Czech Republic
The French team responded well. Not having secured a direct ticket to the World Cup for the first time in 22 years, Talant Dujshebaev’s players had an important match on Wednesday in the Czech Republic for the first leg of a crucial play-off round. Facing a team they defeated in January during the European Championship, the French players needed to be serious on the court in Brno to take a step towards qualifying for the World Cup to be held in Germany next January. And they were. Thanks to Aymeric Minne (5 goals) and Drevy Paschal (3 goals), the French team started strong. The gap between the two teams reached five goals at the end of the first ten minutes with a new goal from the left winger from Saint-Raphaël. Fueled by their fans, the Czechs then showed some pride.
Timid Czechs
They scored two goals in quick succession, first by Jan Uzek (2 goals) and then Tomas Piroch (5 goals). However, they then conceded a 3-0 in less than 90 seconds with Nedim Remili (4 goals) taking the lead. Riding on their momentum, the French team had a lead of up to eight goals, but towards the end of the first half, they experienced a six-minute goal drought. On the other side of the court, the Czechs took advantage and scored three consecutive goals to get closer by five goals. However, after a save by Romain Mathias against Tomas Piroch, Aymeric Zaepfel (1 goal) gave the French team a six-goal margin at halftime. As soon as the game resumed, Talant Dujshebaev’s proteges took control of the game.
France in control
Under the leadership of Theo Monar (2 goals) and Thibaud Briet (7 goals), they scored a 5-1 in just over five minutes to reach a ten-goal lead. After a timid Czech response, the French team continued to chip away at the lead. The gap then fluctuated between ten and eleven goals. This sequence ended at the start of the last ten minutes of the match when Dylan Nahi (3 goals) and Nicolas Tournat (4 goals) concluded with a 4-1, allowing the French team to extend their lead to a maximum of thirteen goals. A smooth ending to the match, with a final Czech goal by Pavel Choteborsky (2 goals), saw the French team win by eleven goals (26-37) and take a strong position for qualification. However, they will need to confirm this on Sunday in the return leg in Orleans.
