PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Sweden collapsed in the second half and lost the bronze medal match in the World Handball Championship.
And according to national team captain Glenn Solberg, it was expected.
– People have to understand that, he told SVT Sport after the defeat against Spain.
Sweden flew out of the starting blocks in Sunday’s bronze medal match against Spain, leading comfortably 22-18 after the first half. Then they collapsed like a house of cards, and finally lost 39–36, which meant that blue and yellow had to settle for fourth place in the WC.
Blue-yellow bottom record
The 39 goals conceded for Sweden also happens to be a record low, as the Swedish national team has never before conceded so many goals in a match during the approximately 1,500 matches they have played over the years. The previous figure was 37 goals that they conceded against Norway in 2010. But despite that, see Hampus Wannewho stood for a fine tournament, positive about the future.
– I am very optimistic. We have a young squad and we still have a blast. This time we almost had a little snap. It is a good lesson for the future considering that we are still so young, says Hampus Wanne to SVT Sport.
READ MORE: Henrik Larsson’s absolutely perfect welcome to Johan Mjällby before the move to Celtic: “He tanned…”
The article continues after the picture.
Despite the dip, fourth place was expected, at least if you ask the national team captain Glenn Solberg who is more than satisfied that they managed to reach the semi-finals.
– There are many people who think a lot. But they have to understand that Spain, Denmark and France are the three best teams in the world. People need to understand that. If you look at the last 10-15 years, you will see that they are the best, says Solberg to the site.
“That’s where we want to go”
Solberg adds:
– We want to get there and we will fight very hard for it. We have developed a lot in recent years. If we want to keep up, we have to go home and train and develop further. So is sport. If everyone gets a little better, we get a little better, says Solberg in conclusion.
READ MORE: William Poromaa’s wonderful answer – after the Norwegian superstar’s mocking gesture: “Damn, I don’t get it”