Sweden is ready for the semi-finals of the handball World Cup.
But last night came the shock news.
Jim Gottfridsson’s WC is over.
“Irritated, sad and disappointed,” he writes on Instagram.
Sweden made another solid effort in the World Cup, defeating Egypt in the World Cup quarter-finals at Tele2 Arena. Andreas Palicka once again played great in goal, and was the big hero when Sweden secured a place as top four in the world. And this despite being forced to play without their great leader.
The nightmare message
Jim Gottfridsson, recently named the world’s best handball player, was forced to step off after seven minutes of play. His left hand got caught in an opponent’s shirt, and he immediately had his hand tightly wrapped. He remained with the team during the match, participated in time-outs, but went to hospital immediately after Sweden secured the victory.
And last night, shortly after 01 o’clock, came the shocking news. Gottfridsson has suffered a fracture in his hand and is forced to be cast. He will miss the next two months, and thus also the rest of the World Cup. It was a disappointed Jim Gottfridsson who expressed himself on his Instagram.
“I’m throwing in the towel this time. Annoyed, sad and disappointed. Thanks for all the support so far. Now we are doing everything to go to the WC final!”, he writes.
READ MORE: Tommy Körberg’s insane promise to the Swedish national team – before the World Cup shocker: “If they go to the final”
“Suffering with Jim”
On the national handball team’s website, he explains what happened and his thoughts on the leaden announcement.
– I think I got stuck in an opponent’s shirt and felt something hurt. It is terribly frustrating as I feel that both me and the team have done a very good tournament and I have dreamed of playing in the WC final at home. I’m convinced that this team, whether I’m in it or not, can beat any team in the world. It feels incredibly heavy, but I will do everything I can to support the team in the fight for the gold, he says.
Sweden meets France in the semi-finals on Friday night, and then without its captain. Confederation captain Glenn Solberg says the following about the announcement:
– I suffer an awful lot with Jim, who has prepared and done everything he could to come to him as prepared as possible. It is one of the world’s best players and he has had a very good tournament so far, so it is clear that it is difficult for us, but we have a very strong squad that will do everything to win the semi-final, says national team captain Glenn Solberg.
READ MORE: Armand Duplanti’s cheeky response after the insane success – which makes everyone cheer: “Wouldn’t say that…”