Article by Adrian Jitea – Published Tuesday, January 27, 2026 23:24 / Updated Tuesday, January 27, 2026 23:33
Sweden and Hungary drew, score 32-32, in the penultimate round of the main group from Men's European Handball Championship. The Swedes, great favorites to reach the semifinals at the start of the competition, are no longer in their hands before the decisive day!
On paper, Sweden should have advanced to the semi-finals. It has home ground advantage and was fortunate to have a main group without the “dragons” Denmark and France. It's just that the Swedes committed it last round, they failed drastically against Iceland, score 27-35.
Sweden did not wake up in front of Hungary either
Lethargy was also maintained in the first part of the dispute with Hungary. Felix Claar and goalkeeper Andreas Palicka made the difference at the break a recoverable one, 16-14 in favor of the Hungarians.
Sweden's comeback race began on the back of numerical superiority. The coach Chema Rodriguez ordered attacks without a goalkeeper, the Nordics took advantage and went ahead, 20-19.
The success of the game came in the 47th minute. The same Claar scored on the last pass, with the wall in front, from over 10 meters. Immediately, Hungary responded with their MVP. Dynamo player Miklós Rosta scored 7 goals from 7 shots, for a score of 25-25.
The ending was thrilling. With two minutes left, Hungary was ahead, 31-30. He remained inferior, and Pettersson equalized from the end. Rosta responded quickly, fought with two opponents and brought the Hungarian representative back to the lead. Time-out Sweden, only 50 seconds on the clock.
Suddenly, even was a good option! Perfectly executed scheme, goal in under 10 seconds. Everyone was watching on their feet. Forcing the attack, a last throw attempted by Andreas Palicka from goal to goal. The ball flowed agonizingly past the bar.
Sweden, at the hands of the “indirect”
Stuns in the hall in Malmo! The two referees went to the VAR monitor to analyze Hungary's last attack. Although everyone expected a throw from 7 meters for an obvious defense in the semi-circle, they decided to confirm the end, equal, 32-32. Now the calculations begin!
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On Wednesday, the hall in Malmo will host the matches Slovenia – Iceland (16:30), Croatia – Hungary (19:00) and Switzerland – Sweden (21:30).
Sweden is NOT in her hands anymore. If Iceland beat Slovenia and Croatia beat Hungary, the Swedes will be eliminated!
In the current configuration, including Slovenia, occupying the 4th place, they have a mathematical chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Standings before the decisive round:
|
Team |
puncture |
goal difference |
|
1. Croatia |
6 |
112-111 |
|
2. Iceland |
5 |
126-118 |
|
3. Sweden |
5 |
127-123 |
|
4. Slovenia |
4 |
129-131 |
|
5. Hungary |
2 |
116-120 |
|
6. Switzerland |
2 |
126-133 |
We fought like crazy, we gave everything we had left in us. We wanted to show the character of the team. We showed the fans, we showed our nation that we can fight. Unfortunately, only a draw. But we are happy with the way we presented ourselves
– Miklós Rosta, Hungary and Dinamo pivot
