Paris 2024 | Largest win for Sweden lifts Scandinavian side to quarter-finals

Sweden clinched their third win at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and also their largest won in this edition of the competition, 40:27 against Japan, in the opening match of the last day of the preliminary round in the men’s handball competition, securing a quarter-finals berth in the process.

PARIS 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES – PRELIMINARY ROUND
GROUP A
Sweden vs Japan 40:27 (16:9)

The 11-goal win secured two days ago against Croatia helped Sweden get back in contention for a quarter-finals spot in the men’s handball competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, as any other result would have seriously piled the pressure on the Scandinavian side.

However, Sweden’s erratic form in the competition did not make them a lock against a plucky Japan team, which were looking for their first win, after conceding four losses before the last match, including two by a single goal against Croatia and Slovenia.

Therefore, Sweden knew that they needed to start the match well and never leave Japan a chance to cause them issues and this is exactly what they did. Coach Glenn Solberg decided to go with Tobias Thulin instead of Andreas Palicka between the posts and that move paid dividends, with Thulin finishing the first half with nine saves for an outstanding 50% saving efficiency.

On the other hand, Sweden’s attack worked better than in the first three matches, as Jim Gottfridsson returned to the court after serving a one-match suspension, with all of the Scandinavian side’s 12 outfield players scoring at least one goal.

Once again, just like in the match against Croatia, it was a wing who shined for Sweden, but this time it was their only right wing, Sebastian Karlsson, who is deputising on this position throughout most of the matches, after Daniel Pettersson, the other right wing in the extended squad, got injured and will miss the rest of the Olympics at Paris 2024.

Karlsson had six goals in the match, including four in the first half, leading Sweden to a seven-goal gap, 16:9, at the break, while the other wing, Hampus Wanne, himself had four goals, before being replaced by Lucas Pellas.

Sweden only had to worry in the start of the match, when they scored only once in the first seven minutes, but after their attack got going, they really dominated the match, as well as providing a good performance in defence, where Japan’s main scorers, backs Naoki Fujisaka and Kosuke Yasuhira, combined for only three goals.

Visibly hampered by Sweden’s strong defence, Japan crumbled in the second half, as it was difficult to motivate themselves for mounting a comeback, especially as Thulin limited Japan to a 59% shooting efficiency, with the gap increasing visibly, to 14 goals with 12 minutes to go, 32:18.

Eventually, the Scandinavian side recorded their largest win at the Olympics since London 2012, when they beat Argentina by 16 goals and Great Britain by 22 goals, taking a clear 40:27 win against a Japan side, while also scoring 40 goals for the first time since London 2012, when they put 41 past Great Britain.

Sweden cannot finish higher than the second place, but the Scandinavian side will take the quarter-finals berth and try to improve even further, as they seem to have been regaining some crucial momentum at Paris 2024, aiming for a medal once again.

On the other hand, Japan will leave an edition of the Olympic Games without a win for the first time in history, but the Asian side will be proud of what they achieved, staying close in three matches, the ones against Croatia, Slovenia and Spain.