Sweden was predicted by many to be able to take a comfortable victory against Poland in the final match of the group game. That was not the case, it was a long game in Scandinavium where Sweden pulled in from only after just over 45 minutes played.
- Sweden started inspired and showed that a lesson was learned from Slovenia. They landed in a weakness in others, but it was nice that we were able to get out of it with a flow in the attacking game that we missed throughout the tournament, says SVT national team expert Magnus Grahn.
"Must rise on all levels"After Albin Lagergren was drafted out of the Swedish squad, young Jack Thurin had to step into his place. Grahn says a good hop.
- It is nice that Thurin did not show any respect in his championship debut and made it deserving. He had to prove that he was worthy of his place in the squad. But if this is to go all the way to a semi-finals then Sweden must, on the whole, rise on all levels, says Grahn.
The victory against means that Sweden can start to get ready for a tough main round in Malmö. At stake are two places in the semi-finals.
- This championship has been full of surprises and I'm not surprised if we get to see more in the main round. What is interesting is that Sweden meets teams that usually do not go all the way, such as Slovenia, Iceland and Portugal. This means that there is a chance for Sweden to reach the semi, says Grahn and continues:
- But it will require at least three winners against the right team and then Sweden must raise its level substantially and more players must step forward, Magnus Grahn concludes.