Germany, Spain, Denmark and Slovenia earned places in the men's Olympic handball semifinals by winning hard-fought matches againsthosts France, Egypt, Sweden and Norway respectively at the Pierre Mauroy stadium on Wednesday.
The French agonisingly lost 34-33 to Germany in the quarterfinals, ending their dreams of another handball double gold success with the women's team and bringing the curtain down on left back Nikola Karabatic's career as he retires.
"I don't think I realise it right now because the pain of the defeat is still there, but I’m very proud of what I have achieved," three-times world player of the year Karabatic said.
"I will cherish the time with my teammates in the locker room, the last moment with them to maybe drink a beer, reflect on everything and be there to cheer them up, because it's a tough moment for us," he added.
French right wing Valentin Porte and goalkeeper Vincent Gerard are also retiring.
France had been ahead at halftime but made a huge mistake when they lost possession in the final seconds, allowing Germany right back Renars Uscins to score and take the game to overtime.
The 22-year-old also netted the final tie-breaking 9-metre shot.
Earlier, Spain edged Egypt 29-28 and will play the Germans in the semis, with right wing Aleix Gomez pouring in nine points, including the final tie-breaking shot during overtime.
Tokyo silver medallists Denmark beat Sweden 32-31, with left back Simon Pytlick scoring nine goals.
On Friday, they meet Slovenia in the semis after the Eastern European team beat Norway 33-28, with right wing Blaz Janc and left back Aleks Vlah pouring in a combined 20 points.
The French women's team still have a chance to claim gold, having won all six of their matches in the competition so far.
Les Bleues face Sweden in the semifinals on Thursday, while Tokyo bronze medallists Norway play Denmark.
"We're in the middle of it now, we want to take a big step in the semifinal - we're getting closer to the end," France coach Olivier Krumbolz said after they beat Germany on Tuesday.