Michael Noyelle | ICF - The 8000 spectators present in the boiling hot arena of Thury-Harcourt this Saturday enjoyed one more day of thrilling competition and celebrated loudly the titles of France and Germany, 2014 ICF U21 World Champions.

The U21 Women German team had many reasons to fear their opponents when entering Thury’s crucible. Beside the support of the crowd in favour of the locals, the reigning world champions had lost their group game against the French while the latter were counting on the final to finish off an impeccable tournament.

Unfortunately for them, dreams are not reality and the national heroes endured the same scenario as in the last European championships. The German squad learnt from the mistakes made on Friday. They scored quickly after the start of the game and managed to control the match to the very end, finally winning 5-3. “After we lost 4-0 against France yesterday, we made a list of everything we had to correct and improve”, explained German captain Annika Adler. “We are a very tight team and always fighting. I would like to dedicate our victory to our fans that came here in mass”.

At the other end of the pitch, French coach Maelle Schmitz could barely hide her disappointment and regretted that her team did not play at its best level. “It’s very tough, they were favourite, they did not lose one game during the tournament except the final, but this is how it is, we’re not in a video game, we had to be strong in the final and we weren’t. We had a difficult start in the game; the girls are young, it’s very demanding both psychologically and physically to catch up with the Germans. Our goal was to play at our best level; it was not the case in the final.  We held for eight games but lost the last one, the most important one. Germans managed their advantage very well. I believe we gave the keys to win this game tonight. Some girls were kind of petrified in the final, I feel sad for them because I know their true potential. Some players will now join the senior category and I wish them all the best because they deserve it”.

Earlier in the afternoon, New Zealand put an end to their tournament in the best manner possible, and a bronze medal around their necks, winning 7-5 against Great-Britain in a game keenly contested. “My girls started the competition as the underdogs, said Sophie Winton, captain of the kiwis. “We’re a new team and being here in these surroundings in France, winning the bronze medal, with so much pressure, is just amazing. The crowd was so loud I kept telling myself, there is no sound, it’s alright. We’re happy we played our best game today, it was the game that counted. In Europe the teams have so many tournaments throughout the year compared to us, we’ve got less than five. In the end it was a great experience.”

The Danish rollercoaster

At the end of the U21 Men final, the French shouting cries of victory made quite a contrast with the tears of disappointment of the Danish players. It’s been quite an emotional rollercoaster for Denmark on Saturday, who owned their ticket to the final to a golden goal scored in the very last minutes against almighty Germany. At the beginning of the final, forecasters had a hard time predicting the name of the winners. France entered the tournament as favourites but bent under the pressure, could not do better than a tie against Poland in their qualifying group and lost a severe 0-5 in the second round against... Denmark. In the contrary, the Danish team progressively bolstered their reserves of confidence.

The wild French crowd held their breath as Denmark took the lead twice. In a very balanced final, the two teams played cat and mouse, neutralising each other until the end of the regulation game time. Denmark were undoubtedly hoping for the same outcome as in the morning against Germany, but the French were the quickest on the ball at the extra-time throw-off and left no hope to their opponents, number 5 Jeremy Escaffre scoring the victorious golden goal to the delight of packed stands. “It’s unbelievable”, said French coach Laurent Debieu. “I am so proud of them and happy for them. The whole week, the whole tournament was difficult for us; we had the tag of favourite and a lot of pressure to handle, because of the legacy of the previous U21 French teams. But it’s better to be world champions after struggling rather than having it easy and failing, it makes the victory even sweeter. We knew this Danish team, we saw them in the circuit, it was very tight tonight. Six boys of this team are staying in the U21 category; we have a solid base to work with.” 

Danish coach Peter Ravn was not less emotional. “I feel relaxed because I am happy”, he said. “I am happy for the players, I am happy for myself, this is amazing. Playing in front of 8000 spectators, against France, on their home course, I can only be proud, we did the best we could. We started only four years ago, we tried to work with 15-16 year old guys, never won anything in Denmark, today we’re making history. These players all play the same but each of them has a special place in the group. I don’t think we missed anything in the final, for me it’s a draw, 3-3. I’m sure the French will admit we were equal. This time they won, next time we will. I had a vision a few years ago, not to have the best players, because it is not possible in Denmark, we have not enough players, nor the tradition, but to have the best team in the world, and I think I came pretty close. We should be proud today”.

Earlier the German team set their mind on the bronze medal and won 3-1 against a deserving New Zealand team. "After the semi-final we lost against Denmark, we were disappointed for a minute. It was very unlucky but we remained motivated to become the third best team of the world. I was sure that we would win, I never doubted. My guys were totally focused, we have a strong defence.”

The Senior teams will be back on the field on Sunday for semi-finals in the morning and finals in the afternoon. In the men category, Italy, Germany, Spain and France will battle for a ticket to the final, while in the women category, Germany, New-Zealand, France and Great-Britain reached the final four.

The championships are fully broadcast live on the ICF Youtube channel every day.

Photographer: FFCK/KMSP - Julien CROSNIER