Olympics-Handball-Germany defeat Spain to make first final in 20 years

Paris 2024 Olympics - Handball - Men's Semifinal - Germany vs Spain - Lille, Pierre Mauroy Stadium, Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France - August 09, 2024. Jorge Maqueda of Spain, Renars Uscins of Germany and Imanol Garciandia of Spain in action REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo

LILLE, France (Reuters) - Germany beat Spain 25-24 in the Olympic men's handball semi-finals on Friday, earning a spot in the final for the first time since the 2004 Athens Games.

The Rio bronze medallists immediately took control and pulled ahead early, largely thanks to superb blocking by their goalkeeper Andreas Wolff, but their four-point lead evaporated as Spain fought back to level at 12-12 just before halftime.