Sweden and Hungary replay 2008 drama with hard-fought draw

GROUP II

SWEDEN VS HUNGARY 32:32 (14:16)

H2H: 16-3-5
Top scorers: Felix Claar 10/14 (SWE); Miklós Rosta 8/8, Bence Imre 8/9 (both HUN)
Goalkeepers: Andreas Palicka 7/29, Mikael Appelgren 2/11 (SWE); Kristóf Palasics 9/39 (HUN)
POTM presented by Grundfos: Felix Claar (SWE)

• Hungary were off to a good start with Kristóf Palasics saves and were in front by two, but Sweden spurred a 4:0 run to overtake at 9:7
• Sweden's attack seemed to came to a stall, as they were not able to find right recipe for the Hungarian defence and turnovers opened the path for Hungary to lead at half-time by two
• after the break, the co-hosts needed seven minutes and two Andreas Palicka saves to get back into the game; Felix Claar netted his sixth of the game to set 20:19 in the 38th minute
• from that moment on, it was a goal-for-goal game until the final buzzer, with each side having chances to claim victory
• the Hungarians missed their last attack, Andreas Palicka took the ball trying to score in the empty net, but failed, leaving the score level

History repeats itself

Sweden and Hungary once again proved inseparable at the EHF EURO, playing out a tense and hard-fought draw that mirrored their dramatic main round meeting back in 2008 — a similar situation with semi-final ambitions on the line. This encounter was also a high-intensity battle where the momentum swung repeatedly and neither team managed to establish lasting control.

Hungary pushed the tempo early, challenging Sweden with good defending and quick transitions, while the co-hosts relied on their structure and experience to respond. The lead changed hands throughout the contest, with unanswered runs turning the flow back and forth and keeping the match on a knife-edge.

As the pressure peaked in the closing stages, both teams had chances to land the decisive blow, but  missed. Albin Lagergren put the sides in a deadlock with only 46 seconds left, Zoltán Szita failed to score for Hungary, and Andreas Palicka tried for the empty net with four seconds in, but missed.

The referees reviewed the last situation, and called it game over. The result means Sweden’s fate is out of their hands ahead of the final match day: Croatia lead the group with six points, followed by Iceland and Sweden with five, Slovenia with four, and Hungary and Switzerland with three each.

Photos © kolektiff images