France out of European Handball Championship

Frances mens handball teams run of four titles in four years came to a halt here on Tuesday when their 29-22 defeat by Croatia in the group stage ended any hopes of their reaching the European Championships semi-finals.For Croatia it was revenge at last after losing to the French in the Olympic semi-finals in 2008, and the 2009 world final and 2010 Euro final.It was a rude awakening for the Blues - who are the only European side thusfar to have qualified for the Olympics later this year - as it was the first time they have failed to reach the semi-finals of a major competition since the 2004 Olympics.For sure it is tough to lose, it is hard... yes it is hard, said a stunned goalkeeper Thierry Omeyer, one of the few French players to have kept his form during the tournament.France captain Jerome Fernandez said that the players had to go back to their clubs and rebuild their confidence ahead of defending their Olympic title.We have lost a lot of confidence since the beginning of the competition, he said.We were sorely lacking in this department today (Tuesday). It is in the head.Fernandez, though, took something positive out of the defeat.Winning runs always have an ending.It is sad, and tough to live with. But the difficulties we had with this Euro shows everyone what we achieved over the past four years was exceptional.