Sweden took their second straight win in the Olympic Games handball.
After the upset win against Norway in the premiere, it was 31–28 against Germany.
I'm pleased with a lot, but there are certain phases with potential for improvement, says national team captain Tomas Axnér in Max.
Goalkeeper Johanna Bundsen made 17 saves and also became a goal scorer, and Jenny Carlson scored seven goals.
The men lost to Germany on Saturday, but the women took revenge, even though a seemingly secure win became a bit tighter in the end.
The Swedish women took control fairly quickly after the dream start and the upset win over Norway in the first match on Thursday.
Sharp Bundsen
Goalkeeper Johanna Bundsen, who made 18 saves against Norway, let in the first three shots against Germany, then she made sharp interventions.
During seven minutes in the first half, she kept a clean sheet, with great help from a strong Swedish defense.
Going forward, it was Jenny Carlson who shone.
She scored Sweden's first two goals in the match and scored six goals before halftime.
I'm just happy that we can win today, says Carlson to Max after the match.
Good Advertising
Carlson is currently clubless since her Montenegrin club Buducnost terminated her contract and is close to bankruptcy.
But the midfielder did the best possible advertising for herself.
Even Olympic debutant Olivia Löfqvist scored twice. The reserve from Norwegian Storhamar got the chance since Sofia Hvenfelt injured her knee in the premiere and is out for the rest of the Olympic Games.
It was a bit shaky in the start, but it got better and better as the match went on. Fun to score some goals too, says Löfqvist about her performance.
At halftime, Sweden had taken a firm grip and led 19–12.
Germany surprisingly lost their first match against South Korea and needed a win.
The team started optimistically directly after halftime and scored some goals, and with barely 15 minutes left, the Swedish lead was down to four goals.
National team captain Tomas Axnér took a timeout, and it got better again.
Especially when Bundsen also contributed forward and scored her second goal for the tournament, making it 26–21 with ten minutes left.
Sweden meets Denmark in the next match on Tuesday. The top four teams in the six-team group advance to the quarterfinals.
July 25: Norway 32–28.
July 28: Germany 31–28.
July 30: Denmark (21.00).
August 1: South Korea (11.00).
August 3: Slovenia (16.00).
All group stage matches are played in Paris. Quarterfinals, semifinals, and medal matches are played in Lille on August 6, 8, and 10, respectively.
