Updated 20.29 | Published 19.27
Share the article
Save the article
Sweden took their second straight victory in the group stage.
But it was hard against a very slow playing Senegal.
– It was completely insane. They played handball, says Nina Dano after the 26–18 victory.
The goal change continued throughout the first half and Sweden did not manage to shake off Senegal. The Swedish defense had a hard time stopping Senegal’s main weapon going forward for the day, Soukeina Sagna, who scored six goals in the first half.
At half-time, only two goals separated.
And in the second half the streak would continue.
In the first quarter of the second half Sweden only scored two goals (but Senegal only three so they never managed to equalize) and it wasn’t until the final stages of the match that Sweden was finally able to shake off Senegal.
Sweden stepped up and scored five straight goals in the last ten minutes, which made the distance slip away.
When the final whistle went, Tomas Axnér and the Swedish team could breathe a sigh of relief. Sweden eventually won 26–18, but without convincing.
The national team captain believes that his Sweden were “stunned” by Senegal’s slow handball and summed up the victory with:
– It was a difficult birth.
full screen Senegal pressured Sweden in the handball World Cup. Photo: Mathias Bergeld / Bildbyrån
“Insane”
Nina Dano was not particularly impressed by Senegal’s very slow handball.
– We play like 90-10 in defense versus attack. It was absolutely insane. After all, they played handball and the bouts are over two minutes long. It will be incredibly special to play against this as well and difficult to first slow down in defense and then do something in our own counter-play. It was very ill-timed, says the right-hander to Sportbladet.
Have you played against a team this slow before?
– I would probably like to say that I don’t have that. This was something completely different, says Dano.
Sweden tried to get the referees not to allow Senegal to play so slowly.
– But they didn’t want to talk to us, she says.
Axnér:
– Senegal does it very smartly. It is the referees who set the level and we have introduced rules in handball so that we can have a faster game: quick returns and an extended return circle. Then we want that handball.
The win means that Sweden is ready for the intermediate round even before the last group stage match against Croatia, which will be a pure group final.
It is played on Tuesday and has a return at 20:30.
full screen Photo: Mathias Bergeld / Bildbyrån
2023-12-03 18:56:15
#Pressed #Sweden #won #Senegal #intermediate
