The German national handball team will play for European Championship bronze in the afternoon – and will face a team that is emotionally badly shaken. Sweden feels cheated in the semi-finals, experts speak of a “gigantic scandal”.
This last throw. That damn last throw. This miracle throw that sent some to heaven and others to hell. The Swedes were ahead 27:26 in the first semi-final of the European Handball Championship, the favored French were on the verge of elimination. One last free throw, the regular playing time had long since expired, the free throw had to be taken immediately. No pass, no move, just a throw on goal from nine meters. And then Elohim Prandi stepped up, dropped past the huge Swedish wall and nailed the ball into the corner of the Swedish goal.
Some called the goal a “miracle goal”, others called it a “goal of the century”. It’s a situation that ends in a goal perhaps every 100th attempt. For the Swedes it meant the end of their title dreams. In extra time they collapsed under the shock of the equalizer and France played for the title after 34:30.
Sweden’s national coach Glenn Solberg had tears in his eyes when he was supposed to speak after the game about the sporting drama that he had previously experienced over 70 minutes. “I’m very disappointed that we didn’t manage to win this game. We play fantastic handball and come into the game in the second half, and then what has to happen happens,” said the former Bundesliga professional. In the first 30 minutes the French literally overwhelmed his team. At times, the European Championship semi-finals seemed like one of those meaningless group games in which some still want to and others can’t.
“Clear mistake”
France led by six goals at half-time, then Sweden turned up the heat. “We have to play our best half that we have ever played in the national team in order to win,” said Magdeburg’s Felix Claar during the break. And they delivered. The outstanding goalkeeper Andreas Palicka nailed his goal, while director Jim Gottfridsson led his team goal after goal. They were leading with just a few minutes to go. And thus created the height for the fall into emotional hell.
“It’s a huge disappointment at the moment,” said goalkeeper Andreas Palicka. “It’s an incredible comeback in the second half, where we show what great characters we have in this team. We lead by two goals, then we’re up by one goal and they get a standing free throw. Prandi scores a fantastic goal . And in extra time you have the feeling that something is missing.”
The North Macedonian referees Slave Nikolov and Gjorgji Nachevski refrained from checking the execution of Elohim Prandi’s free throw again via video. In doing so, they not only incurred the displeasure of the Swedes, who, as if in shock, had refrained from wild resistance on the field – but then later protested against the score. EHF President Michael Wiederer personally described the referees’ decision not to use the video evidence as a “clear mistake. The referees should have watched the video.”
If they had done that, they might have concluded that Prandi’s foot came off the ground too early on the direct free throw and that the hit was therefore irregular. Then the Swedes would have been rewarded for their great morale and the disappointed French would have had the afternoon (3 p.m./ZDF and in the live ticker on ntv.de) played against the German team for bronze. Things turned out differently, the Swedish protest was rejected after “a careful assessment” of the situation and the use of VAR was at the discretion of the referees.
“I think we’re doing everything right.”
The seconds before the goal that broke their necks had already been unfortunate for the Swedes. The referee whistled off Gottfridsson’s supposed goal to make it 28:26, which would have meant the decision, because of a step error. “Even if I look at the situation 1000 times, that’s not a step error. And if it’s a step error, then I think you can whistle off any attack,” complained the SG Flensburg-Handewitt playmaker on “Kicker”. “I think we are doing everything right to reach this final.”
There had already been a strange situation before the dramatic final seconds, which also ended bitterly for the Swedes: They wanted a borderline attack by the French right winger Yanis Lenne to be counted as a striker’s foul, and a clearly audible whistle also sounded. The goal referee then told him “that he was just breathing into the whistle,” said Gottfridsson, who had previously laughingly congratulated Prandi on his miracle goal before the start of extra time, shaking his head.
“I am angry on behalf of Sweden”
Dejected Jonathan Carlsbogård ranted: “I don’t know why they have this VAR screen if they don’t even use it. In the end there are three situations and they don’t look at a single one. I think that’s a scandal,” says he dejected. People in the neighboring country were also angry about the final of this big game: “In my opinion, this is a gigantic scandal. I’m angry on behalf of Sweden,” said former Danish professional Claus Møller Jakobsen on TV2.
Already in the main round game against the overpowering Danes they were very unlucky with a controversial, but game-deciding scene in the last second: When they were already celebrating Oscar Bergendahl’s equalizer to make it 28:28, the two Czech referees made it clear: The goal doesn’t count because it was Sweden’s Hampus tub stood in a circle. However, the outsider had clearly been pushed into the forbidden space. “It feels like we’ve been robbed,” complained Gottfridsson on TV6. So now there was the next emotional blow in the neck. And it was significantly more painful.
Now the Swedes have to tighten up again before the bronze medal game. It’s not just about a brilliant end to the European Championship, but also about direct qualification for the Olympic Games in Paris in the summer. Quite a few believe that Sweden will not have shaken the disappointment out of their bones until kick-off.