It was set up for a really exciting semifinal in the men's handball World Championship with Croatia, on home ground, against the giant France.
Then it was the Croatians who took control directly. Everything seemed to go Croatia's way, both forward and backward, while favorite France had to struggle hard. The large home crowd on site had every reason to cheer for Croatia, who could go to halftime leading 18-11.
France came out better in the second half and could narrow the gap a bit, but Croatia managed to hold on in a match that included a lot of chaos, and won 31-28. Thus, they are through to their first World Championship final since 2009.
Now, a trip to Oslo awaits, where both the bronze match and the final will be played on Sunday.
Denmark and Portugal will compete for the other final spot in the semifinal on Friday.
