Sweden's handball team missed the EM semifinals after Croatia and Iceland won their final main round matches. Despite a 34–21 victory over Switzerland in a meaningless game at Malmö Arena, Sweden could not advance. The team will now play for fifth place on Friday in Herning.
Sweden's handball EM in Malmö ended in disappointment as the national team missed the semifinals. Croatia defeated Hungary 27–25 after a dramatic comeback, despite trailing early in the match. Iceland beat Slovenia 39–31, securing unbeatable positions in the standings for both teams. Sweden, having previously lost to Iceland and drawn with Hungary, depended on favorable results from others but received none.
Despite this, Sweden concluded the main round with a convincing win over Switzerland, 34–21 (14–12). The match was meaningless since the other outcomes were clear just before tip-off. Sweden started weakly but improved, with Andreas Palicka in top form in goal and Eric Johansson scoring seven goals total, including five in the first half. They led 14–12 at halftime and pulled ahead to 22–14 early in the second half, sealing the game.
Max Darj called it ”one of the hardest matches to play” and expressed disappointment: ”It’s a disappointment. We entered the championship so damn eager for revenge... Now we’re here in a match for fifth place.” He avoided labeling it a fiasco but admitted the team could have performed better. Jim Gottfridsson described the EM effort as ”a failure.” Coach Michael Apelgren stated: ”I’m of course disappointed” and highlighted defensive shortcomings: ”Attack wins matches, defense wins titles.”
20-year-old Axel Månsson made his EM debut with nine minutes of play and one assist, but had mixed feelings after the exit. Albin Lagergren was forced off early after a hit to the face. Analysts view the flop as worse than last year’s WM, with no excuses on home soil. The next match is for fifth place against Portugal in Herning on Friday.
