"Norway has extremely much to lose"

Many saw Norway as a clear gold favorite - a final against France was no big deal.

But the Norwegians lost the semifinal against the Russian team and are now up against Sweden.

Sweden's national team captain Tomas Axnér, who is already historic with the Swedish national team's Olympic successes, is impressed by the Norwegians' stability and speed.

- We have to be on the cutting edge all the time, it goes fast and they come again and again and again.

It is important to have focus and strength, not to lose concentration and positions on the pitch.

Beaten Sweden twice

Apart from the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, Norway has been in the top four in all Olympic Games since 1988. Two golds have been won, in London and in Beijing the neighboring country has won six of eight championship matches against Sweden in the 2000s.

It was also Norway that beat Sweden in the Olympic quarterfinals in both Beijing and Rio.

Tomas Axnér on how Sweden will succeed in pushing the favorite:

- I think a lot is about taking them to a point where it will be difficult for them, and that point may not come in minute 50 but maybe in minute 55, where all of a sudden at the end of the match they have a lot to lose.

Sweden comes in as an underdog, he thinks.

- We have everything to win in this match and Norway has extremely much to lose, if you talk about rivalry between countries and position in world handball and what their goal was with this tournament against us.

Saw the match again

The important line player Linn Blohm agrees.

She has broken down and come back after the semifinal loss against France, where she received a red card after three expulsions.

She says that she watched the match again afterwards to try to learn something.

Painful?

- Yes, but that's sometimes.

But it is also instructive, you learn from your mistakes.

What will it be like to face Norway?

- It will be extremely tough, says Blohm and continues:

- They are disappointed at the same time as we have never been in this situation before, and I hope it is to our advantage at the same time as they will be extremely hungry for revenge, they also do not want to go home empty handed.