Paris 2024 | Sweden mount spirited comeback and eliminate Slovenia
03 Aug. 2024
Sweden had to sweat, taking the lead for the first time in the 46th minute, but eventually took a 27:23 win against Slovenia, eliminating their opponents and ensuring a finish on one of the top two places in Group A at the end of the preliminary round.
PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES – PRELIMINARY ROUND
GROUP A
Slovenia vs Sweden 23:27 (14:11)
Slovenia’s fate was out of their hands in Group A, as not even a win would have seen Dragan Adzic’s safely through to the quarter-finals in their first-ever appearance in the women’s handball competition at the Olympic Games.
A win would have needed to be doubled by Germany failing against Norway, but first, Slovenia needed at least one point against Sweden, a team which was already qualified, but was playing for a better finishing position in the final standings of the group.
But the Scandinavian side probably had their worst first half at Paris 2024, constantly playing from behind as Slovenia threw off the match with a 3:1 run to make a statement of intent. What Sweden lacked was the efficiency, finishing the first half with only 46% of their shots converted, especially as left wing Elin Hansson missed four one-on-one shots.
That played exactly into Slovenia’s hands, as Dragan Adzic’s side had a fantastic performance in defence, constantly stopping the Scandinavian side in their tracks, while in attack, centre back Elizabeth Omoregie scored six goals, as captain Ana Gros added three more goals.
Slovenia led by as many as four goals in the first half, 11:7, but in the end, at the break, the gap was only three goals, 14:11, enough to make Sweden’s coach, Tomas Axner, wonder what he can change to influence the outcome of the match.
For the first six minutes of the second half, Slovenia managed their lead well, but neither Gros, nor Omoregie managed to score another goal in the second part until the 54th minute. It was all about Sweden starting to play better in defence, while Axner also changed goalkeeper Johanna Bundsen with Evelina Eriksson, who stopped four of the first eight shots she faced, for a 50% saving efficiency.
Between the 36th and the 48th minutes, Slovenia scored only once, enabling Sweden to deploy a 5:1 run, spurred by right wing Nathalie Hagman, who was her team’s top scorer, with five goals, to turn the match on its head.
For the first time in the match, Sweden took the lead in the 46th minute, 19:18, with Slovenia collapsing entirely, especially in attack, where they scored only five goals in the first 20 minutes of the second half. Under Hagman and Hansson’s guidance, that run morphed into a 9:2 one, which prompted Adzic to take his second team time-out of the half in only eight minutes.
Eventually, Sweden completed a 27:23 win, as Slovenia scored only nine goals in the second half, their efficiency dipping from 70% to 53%, and going out from the competition, especially due to their 19-goal loss against Germany in the third round.
Sweden secured their fourth win in five matches and are now sure to finish at least second in Group A, and have the chance to clinch the first place, if Denmark do not win against the Republic of Korea.
Slovenia conceded their fourth loss and are eliminated, as there is no chance to finish on the fourth place and clinch a quarter-finals berth, irrespective of the results of the last two matches, which see Norway and Germany, but also Denmark and the Republic of Korea face off.