Denmark mounted a spirited comeback, ending the match with a 4:0 run and stopping Sweden’s attack in the last nine minutes, to clinch their second win in the women’s handball competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, 25:23.

PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES – PRELIMINARY ROUND
GROUP A
Sweden vs Denmark 23:25 (14:14)

A win would have seen Sweden become the second team progressing to the quarter-finals of the women’s handball competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, joining France into the knockout phase, with three wins out of three matches.

But then Denmark jumped the gun to a 5:1 lead after only five minutes, prompting Sweden’s coach, Tomas Axner, to take his first team time-out, trying to weather down the storm. Denmark scored another goal immediately, to create a five-goal lead, as they were looking excellent in defence and flawless in attack.

However, Sweden, one of the most consistent teams in the last six years in major international competitions, are no pushovers. With an in-form Jenny Carlson, who has been one of the most reliable centre backs in the competition, the Scandinavian side starting to come back, sapping into Denmark’s lead.

Carlson scored four times in the first 18 minutes, right wing Nathalie Hagman added four more goals, fueling a 7:2 run for Sweden, which not only cancelled Denmark’s lead, but also saw Sweden take the lead for the first time in the 22nd minute, 10:9, as the tables were turned and Denmark were losing power.

But as the final whistle of the first half came, Denmark was back, with two line players, sisters Rikke and Sarah Iversen, converting their last shots, to tie the score, 14:14, providing another exciting setting for the second half, with both teams fighting for the win and the two points.

A loss would have seen Denmark put in a precarious position, with back-to-back losses against the first two teams in the standings and in a tough spot in the battle for a quarter-finals ticket. Sweden’s goalkeeper, Johanna Bundsen, made some key saves throughout the second part, keeping her saving efficiency on the north part of 30%, with Sweden constantly leading by one or two goals.

Yet with 13 minutes to go, Denmark finally managed to tie the score, 20:20, as the two Iversen sisters had combined for seven goals until that point, being difficult to stop. However, Denmark’s coach, Jesper Jensen, decided to deploy a seven-on-six attack, replacing the goalkeeper with another attacking player.

In theory, that should have worked brilliantly with Denmark’s line players shining until that moment. On the court, though, Sweden scored two open-goal shots to create a two-goal lead, 23:21, taking the initiative once again.

While Jensen failed with his seven-on-six tactic and dropped it after some missed chances, one other decision, to replace goalkeeper Sandra Toft with Althea Reinhardt, paid dividends. Reinhardt stopped two of the three shots she faced, for a 67% saving efficiency. And while Denmark had a roller-coaster match, their finish was flawless.

For the last nine minutes, Sweden failed to score a goal, leaving the door open for their opponents. Denmark took the chance and goals from Sarah Iversen, backs Anne Mette Hansen and Mie Hojlund, and left wing Emma Friis helped create a 4:0 run, which propelled Denmark to a fantastic comeback, sealing a 25:23 win.

Both teams, as well as Norway, now have four points, while the Republic of Korea, Germany and Slovenia all have two points, in what proves to be a very well-balanced Group A at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. With all the top three teams having faced each other, it likely will be a mad dash to the finish to see which team finishes first and gets, theoretically, an easier path towards the gold medal.