Swedish handball players won the European Championship final in Budapest over the trophy defender Spain 27:26. The dramatic duel of two opponents of the Czech team from the basic group was decided only after the time of the seven-meter throw, which was transformed by Niclas Ekberg. The son of the Czech father, goalkeeper Andreas Palicka, helped the Swedes to win 11 interventions. The Danes won bronze after a 35:32 victory after overtime over France.
The Swedes, the reigning world runners-up, won a record fifth European gold and the first since 2002. They consolidated their position at the top of the historic medal table ahead of the second France, which has the three most valuable metals from the European Championships. The Spaniards did not reach the third European gold in a row, but continued the medal gains from last year’s Olympics and World Championships, where they won the same bronze.
The Swedes, who advanced by a single goal in the final match of the basic group after a draw with the Czech national team, retaliated against Spain from the opening phase of the championship. The final in the packed Budapest hall has been extraordinarily even since the beginning, and none of the teams jumped more than a two-goal difference during the match.
After a turn at the end of the first half, the moderate favorites of the Spaniards held the lead of one or two goals in the beginning of the second act. But the Swedes also thanks to Palick, who even scored once in the match and was declared a duel player, turned the situation around and went for the lead with two goals.
However, the Spaniards equalized to 26:26 two minutes before the end after Cañellas’ shot and even attacked the turn at the last minute. However, they did not change their chance, and after the time-out, the Swedes won a seven three seconds before the end, which Ekberg turned cold-blooded with his fifth goal in the match.
Reigning two-time world champions The Danes defeated the champions of Tokyo, the French, in overtime against the Olympic finals in the battle for third place. In normal time, the dramatic match ended at 29:29. The Northerners won the first silver medal from the domestic tournament eight years ago at the continental championship, the French finished second out of the podium for the second time in a row.
The Danes decided on a successful revenge for the Tokyo finals even without the injured star Mikkel Hansen at the beginning of the overtime, which they started with three goals in a row, and the opponent could not find an answer. The scorers of the Danish success were mainly the author of 10 goals Jacob Holm and goalkeeper Niklas Landin.
The Czech team was the best eliminated team in the basic group and took 13th place in the tournament. Coach Rastislav Trtík’s charges first lost to Spain by two goals, then clearly defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina and then drew Sweden with the later champion, which was not enough for them to advance.
“The cast of the final only proves how difficult the group we had. On the other hand, it can be seen that if we scored that one extra goal or intervention, the Swedes would not be where they are. We could have played the main stage. that we will be able to build on this well in the future, “said Czech goalkeeper Tomáš Mrkva in a recording for the media.
European Handball Championship in Budapest:
Final: Sweden – Spain 27:26 (12:13)
Most goals: Ekberg 5/4, Bergendahl 5, Wanne 4 – Figueras 6, Gómez 6/4, Tarrafeta 5.
3rd place: Denmark – France 35:32 after ET (29:29, 13:14).
Final ranking: 1. Sweden, 2. Spain, 3. Denmark, 4. France, 5. Norway, 6. Iceland, 7. Germany, 8. Croatia, 9. Russia, 10. The Netherlands, 11. Montenegro, 12. Poland, 13 Czech Republic, 14. Serbia, 15. Hungary, 16. Slovenia, 17. Belarus, 18. SR, 19. Portugal, 20. Austria, 21. Lithuania, 22. Northern Macedonia, 23. Bosnia and Herzegovina, 24. Ukraine.
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