Double champion disenchanted, title curse defeated: Sweden has climbed the European handball throne again after decades of dry spells.
Europe’s handball kings come from Sweden for the first time in 20 years. The record European champions beat defending champions Spain 27:26 (12:13) in front of 14,238 spectators in Budapest on Sunday and made their fifth triumph after 1994, 1998, 2000 and 2002 perfect. Bronze went to world champion Denmark, who won the match for third place against Olympic champions France 35:32 (29:29, 13:14) after extra time.
The final, under the prudent direction of the German referees Robert Schulze and Tobias Tönnies, offered pace and drama from the start. The best throwers for the World Cup runners-up from Sweden were circle runner Oscar Bergendahl and Niklas Ekberg, who had returned from corona quarantine, with five goals each. The man from Kiel converted a seven-meter penalty at the last second and thus set the final point. Right winger Aleix Gomez scored six times for the Spaniards.
The Swedes were initially always in front, but could never really break away. The lead never grew to more than two goals. Goalkeeper Andreas Palicka had a great day, just like in the 34:33 in the semi-final against France. The 35-year-old was the main support with numerous saves and once again distinguished himself as a goalscorer.
But the Scandinavians missed a lot of chances in attack – including two penalty kicks in the first 15 minutes. So the ripped off Spaniards always stayed within striking distance. “They play very clever and economical handball. They don’t stress and never act excitedly, even when they’re behind,” said national coach Alfred Gislason on “Sportdeutschland.tv” shortly before kick-off, describing the defending champion’s style of play.
And indeed: One minute before the break, Spain took the lead for the first time at 12:11 – also because goalkeeper Rodrigo Corrales Rodal saved a few balls. The second round was exciting. Both teams acted at eye level and kept finding gaps in the opponent’s defence. So it went head to head in the last two minutes, during which the Swedes kept their nerve and cheered at the end.
The German team, plagued by 16 corona cases, had already left the tournament in Hungary and Slovakia in seventh place after the main round. For captain Johannes Golla there was at least one nice personal success at the end of the European Championship. The 24-year-old from German runner-up SG Flensburg-Handewitt was voted into the all-star team as the best circle player. “It’s a nice surprise and great to get such recognition for what you’ve accomplished,” said Golla.