Tight at the back but a somewhat stressed and stagnant attacking game against a steady, compact Bosnian defence. This is how it looked initially in the SAP arena. Barely seven minutes into the meeting in Mannheim, only three goals had been produced, two of which were Swedish. Then came the first important Swedish move, in the many and many signed middle six Oscar Bergendahl. He scored both 4–2 and 5–3 before Albin Lagergren rallied the national team to a three-goal lead. “Starts a little slow” – We start a little slow but work our way into the match, stand very well at the back and “Palle” (Andreas Palicka) takes what he has to, says Bergendahl to Viaplay. When Jim Gottfridsson splashed in his third goal to make it 7–3, the foundation was laid for a highly anticipated premiership victory. Hampus Wanne went on a scoring spree, punching in four straight balls as Sweden went from 8–5 to 11–5. Bosnia responded with three straight goals straight after the break. Halfway into the second half, the Swedish lead was down to just three goals, Albin Lagergren took a big blow to one shoulder, but Wanne managed the penalty to make it 19-15. Tough veteran Andreas Palicka received a few stabs, one shot hard in the chest, another in the head. The veteran goalkeeper had to work – and contributed with several saves in a half that was almost completely even in terms of goals. Thanks to a strong finish, it was won by Sweden 15–13. – I am very happy that we won by nine in the end. Bosnia plays handball that doesn’t suit us at all, says Hampus Wanne to Viaplay. – They are very aggressive, get killed by our attacks. We don’t get a rhythm. Despite this, the left-six got a good return on his finishes, the match’s sharpest shooter with nine goals that he was. – Nice to score, but satisfied? Then we have to wait a few weeks. My focus is on winning matches, says Wanne. In the early second match of the group, the Netherlands opened by beating championship debutants Georgia. Confederation captain Staffan Olsson was able to take advantage of 34-29 and the opportunity to match many players. Next, the former national team star’s men face Bosnia on Saturday, a few hours before Sweden meets Georgia. On Monday, Sweden finishes the group stage against the Netherlands.
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