Defending champions France battled past Iceland 31-25 to reach the world handball championships quarter-finals in Lille on Saturday in front of 28,010 people, a record crowd for the tournament.
It was France's sixth win of the 2017 event as the 1995, 2001, 2009, 2011 and 2015 champions set-up a last-eight duel with either Sweden or Belarus who play on Sunday.
"We are happy because this was like a completely different game from the group phase as this a one-off game," said France coach Didier Dinart after match played in freezing conditions at the Pierre Mauroy stadium, the home of Lille football club. "We had trouble in the first half in defence. We talked at half-time about what we had to improve on and we saw the effects right from the start of the second half and when you've got such a strong back-up from the crowd it's easier for you to take control of the game."
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