Don’t Dismiss the “Experts”
Palička was presented with the ball by his teammates due to a major blunder. Photo: REUTERS
Sweden was close to securing their spot in the finals to defend their title as European champions in Germany, facing off against the Olympic winners, France. However, it seems that the “experts” should avoid counting themselves out.
In a closely contested match that went into overtime, France triumphed with a score of 34:30 (27:27).
The star of the match was Eloim Prandi, who delivered one of the most stunning goals in handball history.
The “three crowns” team had everything lined up, leading with possession and just 15 seconds remaining. However, Gotfrisson managed to sprint, score, but was deemed to have taken steps, leaving the French team with six seconds remaining. The Swedes fouled, leading to a chaotic conclusion.
The shock forced Sweden to struggle during overtime.
After a 17:11 halftime lead for the French, Andreas Palička performed miracles in Sweden’s goal. He was initially trailing far behind his opponent, having made only five saves from 21 shots (23.81%), while Samir Belačene on the other side managed seven out of 18, corresponding to 38.89%.
However, Palička later saved a series of penalties, Igo Deska was stopped on a penalty, then Palička smartly read Kentin Maje’s shot from seven meters.
The French did not switch goalkeepers, despite the starter making just one save in the second half. It wasn’t until the Swedes built a two-goal lead that Remy Desbone took over and recorded a save, but Palička countered by saving another penalty from Deska.
Sweden maintained a two-goal lead, but the French team reduced it to one with Janis Lene’s goal with about 20 seconds left.
Sweden will be rooting for world champions Denmark in the second semi-final against Germany, as the Olympics are at stake. Denmark and the host of the Paris 2024 Olympics, France, have already secured their spots, so the bronze medal will be the only qualification from EURO 2024.
The scoreboard showed eight goals, with Remili being particularly effective, as he was the only player to consistently find success against Palička, scoring five goals. Dika Mem contributed six, while Janis Lene’s crucial overtime performance netted three from the same number of attempts.
On Sweden’s side, Felix Klar led with nine goals, Max Darj added five from as many attempts, while Hampus Vane also scored five, but from seven attempts.
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