Albin Lagergren made it 34-31 with 20 seconds left and the Swedes, dressed in blue for the day, could breathe a sigh of relief. The bronze was at stake and also an Olympic place, which was at stake.
Sweden started the bronze match by far the best and was in the driver’s seat for basically the entire match.
– In the first half, Sweden completely dominated and laid the foundation for this bronze, says Grahn.
But as so often in handball, it still got exciting at the end when the Germans were in the race. With a couple of minutes left in the match, the Germans were just one ball away from Sweden.
Andreas Palicka was, as usual, one of Sweden’s best players and made a series of masterful saves as the Germans approached.
– Palicka is completely inhuman today. Strong to keep it together, says SVT’s expert Magnus Grahn, who also highlights the efforts of Carlsbogård and Felix Claar.
– Fantastic that we manage to win in front of this crowd, Claar says to Viaplay, referring to the loud home crowd in Cologne.
– Few are blessed to be able to play matches like this, says Claar.