Sweden and Croatia share a long and rich rivalry, stretching back to their first meeting at the inaugural Men’s EHF EURO in 1994. Including this encounter, the two sides have now faced each other 13 times, with five of those matches coming at the EHF EURO. Prior to this contest, both teams held two wins apiece at the European championship.
For Croatia, one of the most painful defeats came in 2018, when Sweden beat the hosts 35:31 in front of a sold-out Spaladium Arena in Split, effectively ending Croatia’s medal hopes. Sweden went on to reach the final, while Croatia finished fifth. That match also closed the group phase — just like this encounter in Malmö.
Several players involved back then were once again part of this match: for Sweden, goalkeeper Andreas Palicka and Mikael Appelgren, alongside Max Darj, Hampus Wanne, Albin Lagergren and Jim Gottfridsson, and for Croatia Luka Cindrić and Marko Mamić.
Albin Lagergren was then the top scorer with six goals, and he remains impressive at the age of 33. His four goals helped Sweden extend their dominance over Croatia to 12 years, with Croatia’s last victory dating back to 2014.