Thursday’s win against Bulgaria gave confidence. When the Bulgarians then turned around and won against Germany themselves earlier on Sunday, the feeling was that Sweden could beat anyone in Group D. It turns out that the blue and yellow are not quite ready for an away game against the world number 17, at least not without their two best players.
An overwhelming offensive
Moraca Sports Center in Podgorica completely boiled when the small nation had to play its first home match in the European Championship qualifiers. Add that the association decided to offer the entrance, and the atmosphere became enchanted, with deafening volume and home blind fans.
The suffocating defense that Sweden showed in Partille Arena on Thursday was blown away. Montenegro could do little as they wanted, both offensively and defensively, which led to the outrageously high shooting percentage.
“We didn’t perform at the level we wanted,” says Sweden’s coach Mikko Riipinen. We have a young team and we are trying to build something, so we will look at this and see what we can do better next time.
Defense was the best attack for Montenegro, as they repeatedly forced difficult Swedish finishes. Sweden’s counter-attacking defense was unbalanced and Montenegro was allowed to score unimpeded points.
The glimmer of light: Barra Njie
When things went well for Sweden, then Barra Njie was involved. The Swedish offense seemed stuck in a pattern of moving laterally, but Njie was the one who made sure there was depth. With distinctive attacks, purposeful finishing and a relentless attitude, he not only won valuable minutes for upcoming international matches, but also the hearts of many Swedish fans.
It was in the third period that Sweden made its move and attempted a comeback. Only Njie was the engine behind it, with a three-pointer followed by a steal and after that a two-pointer that forced coach Radovic to take a timeout.
After that, the distance was never less than twelve points. Montenegro was able to secure a reassuring win and at the same time leave a message of strength after a mediocre performance against Germany a few days earlier.
Unexpected position in Group D
Bulgaria threw a bucket of gravel into the machinery on Sunday afternoon by defeating Germany at home. That, combined with Montenegro’s win over Sweden, means two things:
1: All teams in Group D have lost one match and won one match.
2: The home team has won one hundred percent of the matches.
Now a long break awaits before the qualifiers pick up speed again in November. Then a double meeting against Germany awaits, both at home and away. In advance, these were intended as transportation matches for Sweden, where there were no hopes whatsoever for a win, but Bulgaria’s feat against the Germans puts those matches in a different light.
Also remember that Sweden has played with one arm tied behind its back, as both Ludvig Håkanson and Simon Birgander were injured in this window and could not participate. Add them to the team that played in Partille Arena last Thursday, then it’s easy to start hoping for Swedish participation in EuroBasket 2025.
Montenegro – Sweden: 95 – 70 (27-24, 23-13, 25-20, 20-13)
Points, Sweden: Barra Njie 15, Melwin Pantzar 13, Viktor Gaddefors 10, Adam Ramstedt 10, Tobias Borg 8, Nicholas Spiers 5, Denzel Andersson 3, Zaba Bangala 2, Johan Löfberg 2, Mattias Markusson 2
Text: Johannes Grufstedt