Sweden needs to beat both Romania and Montenegro to have any chance of reaching the semi-finals of the Handball World Cup. When Romania fell to Russia, their chance to play for the medals disappeared. Nor does the team need to finish top seven in the World Cup to take an Olympic qualifying spot.

The Romanians have most likely already secured this place via the fourth place in the European Championships last year.

In addition, it is very uncertain whether big star Cristina Neagu plays. She has been selected as the world's best handball player four times (last year) and has been closely matched in the World Cup. Now she is tired and in pain, just back from a cruciate ligament injury.

"Perhaps the world's best player"

And whoever you talk to about Romania, she comes to speak.

"Neagu is one of, yes, perhaps the world's best players," says federation captain Henrik Signell. She really controls everything, from being dangerous herself to putting her teammates in nice positions. She is difficult to stop and has the ability to find solutions even if you are up in her face.

- She is indescribably important, says Romania's national team captain Tomas Ryde to SVT Sport. The Romanian players are good at technology, speed and fit. But they lack structure. There, Cristina is very important to the game. So she is all or nothing in our team I can say.

One third of the team's goals

With 44 World Cup goals so far, Neagu has accounted for almost a third of the team's goal harvest. She has had to carry a heavy load because Romania lacks four important national team players, who have been stopped from the World Cup games because of a doping scandal in the Romanian top club Brasov.

- It has affected us a lot, says Ryde. There are fantastic players who are not included.

Sweden must thus win against Romania today and Montenegro tomorrow to have a chance to reach the World Cup semi-final, but is also dependent on other results going the team's way.

- We will go for two wins now, says Nathalie Hagman. That point against Spain might mean a lot in the end.