The record European champions beat defending champions Spain 27:26 (12:13) in front of 14,238 spectators in Budapest on Sunday and made their fifth triumph after 1994, 1998, 2000 and 2002 perfect. Bronze went to world champion Denmark, who won the match for third place against Olympic champions France 35:32 (13:14, 29:29) after extra time.
The Swedes botched the continuation of their title series after the triumphs in 2018 and 2020 for the Spaniards, who were represented in the final for the fourth time in a row. And the defeat was extremely bitter, since the Germany legionnaire Niklas Ekberg, who had returned from the corona quarantine, only gave one at the last second converted seven meters to the final score.
The final offered pace and drama from the start. The best throwers for the World Cup runners-up from Sweden were pivot Oscar Bergendahl and match winner Ekberg, each with five goals. Right winger Aleix Gomez and Adrian Figueras scored six times for the Spaniards.
Although the Swedes were always ahead at first, they could never really break away. The lead never grew to more than two goals. Goalkeeper Andreas Palicka had a great day, just like in the 34:33 in the semi-final against France. The 35-year-old was the main support with numerous saves and once again distinguished himself as a goalscorer.
But the Scandinavians missed many chances in attack – including two seven meters in the first 15 minutes. So the ripped off Spaniards always stayed within striking distance. A minute before the break, they took the lead for the first time at 12:11 – also because goalkeeper Rodrigo Corrales Rodal saved a few balls. The second round was exciting. Both teams acted at eye level and kept finding gaps in the opponent’s defence. So it went head to head in the last two minutes, during which the Swedes kept their nerve and cheered at the end.
After missing the finals, Denmark could at least be happy about a partial success at the end. In the Scandinavian team, where superstar Mikkel Hansen was missing, goalkeeper Niklas Landin shone with 18 parried throws, backcourt player Jacob Holm was the best scorer with ten goals.
The ÖHB men, who were plagued by numerous corona cases after the tournament, had finished the European Championship in 20th place after a disappointing exit in the preliminary round.
Source: Nachrichten
