The Hispanics will try to avenge defeat in the final of the last European Championship and win their fifth World Cup metal
It is not the outcome of the World Cup that the Hispanics dream of, but the duel for bronze against hosts Sweden, which is much more than a simple consolation final, brings several challenges for the Spanish handball team. First of all, the value of a World Cup medal, which would be fifth after the unforgettable gold medals in Tunisia 2005 and Spain 2013 and the bronze medals in Sweden 2011 – exactly against a Swedish team that hosted – and Egypt 2021. background a special revenge for a team that saw how the Scandinavian team prevented them from winning three consecutive European titles a year ago in Budapest.
And it is that the duels against the Swedish team are an important part of the history of Spanish handball. From the days of the magical Swedish team of the 1990s, when Magnus Wislander, Tomas Svensson, Staffan Olsson or Magnus Andersson, in which tails usually came, to more recent times, when the tables were turned in favor of Hispanics until the final explosion of this new Scandinavian generation that is currently European champion and still second in the world.
As always, the bronze medal game is not just a duel on the parquet, but also a battle against the frustration of missing the final just 48 hours before. In a match of the most even, the psychological aspect will play a crucial role and in that sense, Hispanics are usually a guarantee. Holding on to the semi-final against Denmark until the last minutes when everything seemed against them is an example of the winning nature of a team that will also be accompanied by the absence of what is undoubtedly Sweden’s best player.
Flensburg’s German central defender Jim Gottfridsson broke a finger in the quarter-final against Egypt and his absence was already crucial in the semi-final between Sweden and France. He is the leader of the team led by Glenn Solberg, hence other references such as the Barça left-back Jonathan Carlsbogard, the match director Felix Claar, the explosive PSG goalkeeper Andreas Palicka or the wingers Hampus Wanne, also from Barcelona, and Niclas Ekberg, from Kiel, must take a step forward to soften such a loss and bid farewell to their World Cup as they sink their teeth into the metal.
Meanwhile, the sensation in goal and defense is good for the Spanish national team despite the defeat against Denmark. The fourteen saves of Gonzalo Pérez de Vargas, greatly aided by the defensive work of Gedeón Guardiola, Iñaki Peciña or Miguel Sánchez-Migallón, inspire optimism as the Hispanics fine-tune the outside launch and direction of the game, since the filmmaker shortage. In the semi-finals, the substitutions and lack of ideas in the elaboration of plays hampered Spain’s chances, who also have an excellent favorable record of 9-1 in their last ten games against Sweden.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
