PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Sweden only conceded 22 goals against Slovenia. A defensive display that bodes well for the continuation of the EC.
– Insanely good defensive play, says goalkeeper Andreas Palicka.
He could have added “insanely good goaltending” as well, because when the defense let Slovenian finishes through, Andreas Palicka often in the right place. In the first half, he saved more than half of the shots that came at the Swedish goal.
– There are many rescues for me that just go and pick, if you can put it that way, says “Palle”:
– Fantastic, incredible defensive play today. All credit to all the guys who stood in front of me.
“Really good handball”
It was 28-22 in the end and Sweden put in a performance that indicates that they may very well be able to fight for the EC medals in Cologne next weekend.
– After the last match I said Holland made us look bad, and today I think we made Slovenia look worse than they really are. So let’s not underestimate this effort, it was ferocious. It was really good handball from our side, says Palicka.
– This victory means a great deal, we have won four out of four and have four points in the “main round”. And we beat a main competitor in Slovenia, who also came in here with two points.
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After the match in Hamburg, Andreas Palicka also came with reassuring news, after he was replaced with a quarter of an hour left and sat for a while with an ice pack on his foot.
The 37-year-old was shot in the foot and after that it hurt a bit.
– The shoes were a little tight and the foot swelled a little so I needed some ice. I tie my shoes very tightly and then it hurts a little more than it needs to sometimes.
– It’s a bit like a sprained finger, similar to dignity, he says about the seriousness of the “injury”.
Denmark next
Also the national team captain Glenn Solberg was pleased with the defensive performance against Slovenia.
– Incredibly good morale and aggressive and compact – and such a fantastic goalkeeper. It was great together today.
READ MORE: Magnus Wislander’s great tribute to Andreas Palicka – says exactly what everyone is thinking: “There is nothing left to say”
Next up is Denmark on Friday evening, then also Portugal on Sunday and Norway on Tuesday. Most likely, it is now enough to win two of the three remaining matches to advance to the EC semi-finals.
– We are super happy to be where we are, we feel that we have a very good starting position, says Solberg.
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