Sweden had the upper hand throughout the game against Algeria and claimed their second straight win at North Macedonia 2024, 38:13. If Czechia take at least one point against People’s Republic of China later today, the Scandinavians will secure a main round berth. 

GROUP E
Algeria vs Sweden 13:38 (9:18)

After defeating the People’s Republic of China 38:24 in their opening match, Sweden confirmed their firepower again, scoring the same number of goals (38). One of their key players, right back Thea Kylberg, was unstoppable already in the first minutes, as her four goals propelled the European side to a 4:2 lead.

Algeria, which had put on some decent performance in the match against Czechia despite losing 17:23, again tried to put pressure on their rivals, but could only stay close for the first third of the match. Pivot Lina Yelles converted all her three attempts before the break, and her team were down 11:7 with 10 minutes left in the first half, but then Sweden used an impressive 7:2 run to increase the gap to nine goals at half-time.

The African side had a lot of turnovers, which helped the fast and well-organized Sweden side to score from fast breaks, with 10 of Sweden's 38 goals coming via these fast breaks. The Scandinavian side scored five unanswered goals in the five opening minutes of the second half, further increasing their advantage and creating an unassailable lead. 

Algeria tried to find solutions in attack by playing 7 against 6, but without any success, as they were limited to just one goal between minutes 31 and 45. Sweden controlled the game and led 30:10 midway through the second half before cruising to a commanding 25-goal win. 

Elise Lönnegren, Elin Österwall and Thea Kylberg scored six goals each, while Ella Johansson and Ida Wall combined for 13 saves. In their last group games on Saturday, Sweden will meet Czechia, while Algeria will face the People’s Republic of China. 

Alkaloid Player of the Match: Thea Kylberg, Sweden