The Swedish national handball team continues its winning streak at Euro 2026. In a face-off between the group leaders, the Swedes defeated the Croatians 33:25.
Before this match, both teams were undefeated, with four points each, so the match was decisive in the fight for leadership, according to Sport Bet.
In addition to first place, the Scandinavians won two extremely important points, which will be counted in the main round of the tournament.
Key moments of the Euro 2026 leaders’ match
The reigning Euro bronze medallists played confidently in the first thirty minutes: after an initial seesaw battle, they managed to establish control over the court and ended the first half with a four-goal lead (17:13).
At the start of the second half, the Scandinavians removed all doubt about the winner, scoring five of the first six goals. The Swedish team increased their lead to a record +8 and finished the match with a convincing score of 33:25.
The most productive player in the match was Croatian national team member Zvonimir Srna, who scored seven goals. On the Swedish side, left midfielders Erik Johansson and Nikola Roganovic played a key role in the match with five goals each, while Scandinavian goalkeeper Andreas Palicka made nine saves out of 20 shots (45%).
The same day was also a victory for the Netherlands, who defeated Georgia. Unfortunately, despite the victory, for the Dutch, as for Georgia, this match had no tournament significance, as they had lost their chances of advancing to the main round ahead of time.
Sweden wins the group, the Netherlands finishes on a high note: results of the matches on 21 January
Netherlands — Georgia — 31:26 (18:15)
Sweden — Croatia — 33:25 (17:13)
Sweden joined the six teams that have two points at the start of the main round of the European Championship. Thanks to a better goal difference, the Swedes topped the group, ahead of Slovenia and Iceland.
The main round of Euro 2026 begins on Thursday, 22 January. Three matches will be played, with Germany playing first against Portugal.
As previously reported, the format and composition of the Euro 2026 handball participants have been announced.
