Romanian youth too strong for Sweden

EHF / Iulia Burnei

06 December 2024, 17:15

The start of the main round at the Women’s EHF EURO 2024 was less than ideal for Romania, who were still on zero points after losing to France in the first match. But the young squad proved they belong in this stage of the competition and controlled the match against Sweden from start to finish, clinching a crucial 25:23 win.

Romania showed determination right from the beginning, getting the lead in the first minutes of the game and not letting go until the end. Sweden managed to get close a couple of times, but despite their more experienced squad, they could not keep up with the Romanians.

GROUP I

Sweden vs Romania 23:25 (8:12)

both sides made changes between the posts for this match; Sweden’s first choice was Evelina Eriksson while Raluca Kelemen replaced Daciana Hosu for Romania and even made one save from a penalty shot
an eight-minute dry spell and losing the ball repeatedly prevented Sweden from getting close to their opponents
after equalising at 3:3 in the seventh minute, Florentin Pera’s squad put their foot on the gas and were six goals ahead, the highest difference in the game
the second half started with a change in pace on Sweden’s side, who scored three consecutive goals to dim the gap to two, with an extra player in attack and Johanna Bundsen in defence
from then on, Sweden got closer slowly but steadily, until the 55th minute when they reset the game at 22:22 through Olivia Löfqvist – but the Romanians managed to keep their cool and finally settled the game with a win
Bianca Bazaliu scored eight goals for Romania and was crowned Player of the Match, presented by Grundfos; Emma Lindqvist led the Swedish offence with five successful shots

Bundsen’s masterclass not enough for a win

For the first time in the tournament, Tomas Axnér chose to start the match with Evelina Eriksson in defence. However, with the Romanians getting further away in the first half, Johanna Bundsen stepped up once again between the posts and showcased her skills.

The 33-year-old goalkeeper not only had a 37.5 per cent efficiency, but also scored once again for the Swedes to increase her tally to nine goals. However, the Romanian offence proved too strong and managed to get their first win against Sweden after 16 years — they have not been successful since their 34:30 victory at the Beijing 2008 Olympics. The two teams are now equal in the group I standings with two points each.

It was a very bad start from us, we were very passive in the first 15 minutes in our game and made a lot of technical faults and Romania came with a lot of power and belief that that could beat us today. We were six goals down in the first half, and one of the worst halves that we have played especially in attack during my five years as Sweden's coach. Then, we were too fragile in the second half as we had enough chances to equalise and win the game.

Tomas Axnér

Head coach, Sweden

We had some players in the second half who were tired and had some physical problems, but we had team spirit and that was a key for our team. We didn't give up, we were calm and we played like a team. Not one player won the game, but a team won the game and we like to play like a family.

Florentin Pera

Head coach, Romania