Germany secured their first win in eight years against Sweden, stopping a five-match winless streak, as they threw off the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with an emphatic and complete win against the Scandinavian side, 30:27.

PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES – PRELIMINARY ROUND
GROUP A
Germany vs Sweden 30:27 (12:11)

Six months ago almost exactly to the date, Sweden secured their tickets for Paris 2024, with a 34:31 win in the bronze medal match of the EHF EURO 2024, right in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, the heart of German handball.

Germany had to wait two more months, but they eventually punched their tickets too, when they finished on the second place in the Olympic Qualification Tournament #2, which they hosted in Hanover.

But their first match at Paris 2024 was once against Sweden, a team which had secured better performances in the past years and looked to be better prepared than a young Germany side, with young players especially in the back line. But the lack of experience was nowhere to be shown, as Germany delivered a good start against Sweden.

The first half was a battle of the two goalkeepers – probably two of the best in the world – Sweden’s Andreas Palicka and Germany’s Andreas Wolff. Both recorded eight saves, but Wolff had the better percentage, a 50% saving efficiency, while Palicka was at only 42%. That was also one of the reasons why Germany was one goal ahead, 12:11, with a surprisingly consistent performance, both in attack and in defence.

The only issue for Germany?  After 15 minutes and 12 seconds, Juri Knorr conceded a red card for a reckless foul – the second red card of the day at Paris 2024, after the first one conceded by Sander Sagosen. Therefore, Germany lost their top scorer at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship and at the EHF EURO 2024.

Yet they coped surprisingly well with Knorr’s absence in the second half, constantly keeping Sweden at bay, with a sturdy defence and somehow creating plenty of chances in attack. Right back Renars Uscins, who was Germany’s top scorer at the Olympic Qualification Tournament #2, was the team’s top scorer, with eight goals, as many as Sweden's left wing, Hampus Wanne scored, seconded by line player Johannes Golla, with five goals.

But the pivotal moment of the match seemed to have taken place between the 45th and the 51st minutes, when Sweden failed to score, and Germany put the ball twice past the brave Palicka, to finally open a three-goal lead, 25:22. It was the point of no return for Sweden, which conceded the first loss in eight years against Germany, with a fantastic display for Alfred Gislason’s side.

Eventually, Germany secured a 30:27 win, which might prove decisive in their quest for a quarter-finals berth, while Sweden, four-time silver medallists will go back to the drawing board and re-evaluate the situation, as this loss needs to galvanise them for the next four matches in the group.