You couldn’t see it, but he yawned: Sweden’s keeper Andreas Palicka drove the opponents to despair in Budapest on Sunday
Spain later advanced to the final on Sunday. Sweden’s Jim Gottfridsson, the most valuable player in the men’s European handball championship, opened the evening in Budapest after two minutes and a bit with a shot from the second row. It started later: Denmark only won the game for third place in extra time against France (35:32), the finalists had to keep warm for half an hour before it was their turn.
The 29-year-old Gottfridsson from SG Flensburg-Handewitt was not the only Swedish difference player in the tournament. There was the long-time goalkeeper of THW Kiel and the Rhein-Neckar Löwen, Andreas Palicka. There? Always there! The 35-year-old only said goodbye to Mannheim in December, is currently under contract with Redbergslids IK and will move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. Like the French in the semifinals (34:33), Gottfridsson in front and Palicka behind (and in front) drove the opponent to despair. Spain combined finely adjusted to the goal area, the ball flew cheerfully over Swedish heads to the exposed outside. Until then and often no further: Gottfridsson has hands, feet and body.
Spain didn’t take the lead until just before the break and went into risk mode. Coach Jordi Ribera brought in a sixth player in a red field jersey to equalize in the 19th minute, but backcourt player Joan Cañellas (Kadetten Schaffhausen) missed the shot. Palicka got the ball, was on the ball and threw it across the field into the unguarded goal of the Spaniards. You couldn’t see it, but he yawned as he did so. Palicka had already scored three goals in the semifinals as goalkeeper in one game: European Championship record.
Spain then took advantage of a manpower situation to get close again. Aleix Gómez (FC Barcelona) made a counterattack to give Spain a 13-12 lead at the break, and Spain stayed ahead for a while in the second half too. The third European championship title in a row should come. But Sweden stayed cool. Wanne (Flensburg) stole the ball from his opponent in the 54th minute. The left winger had the field to himself, followed only by the referee: 25:23.
But Spain got close again, Cañellas tanked up and equalized with just under two minutes to go. An extension was conceivable. But then: Sweden’s last attack, Lagergren (Rhein-Neckar Löwen) got the ball on the free-throw line, pulled in from the right half-field and got stuck on Cañellas’ outstretched hip (read: ass). Time is up. There were seven meters. Niclas Ekberg (Kiel) dared to go and the ball kissed the net: 27:26. Physical and center beat game and outside. Sweden’s first European title in 20 years.
Gone is one of those pandemic tournaments. The coaching staff rarely decided who was allowed to stand on the field, but often the number of red lines on the test strips. The German team also had to learn that. Coach Alfred Gislason’s team proudly presented themselves before the start of the competition, and the selection was largely free of positive cases. The achievements of the German hygiene concept were celebrated. Then it rained quarantines. the German press agency also reported cases in the team and staff after returning from Hungary, a total of 18. Players had to be nominated almost every day, the general population was already trembling on the way to the mailbox about possible draft notices. The Schwarzer, Hein and Kretzschmar of this nation already smeared resin on their fingertips, which actually only like to hold golf clubs. The veterans were relieved to see that the DHB selection only finished fourth in the main round, making every further game unnecessary.
