At 5:30 p.m. on St. Lucia’s day, Sweden’s handball ladies will play the World Cup quarter-final against Germany. Middlesix Linn Blohm is looking forward to what is to come, to say the least.
– This is where we wanted to be and now we are here. It will be huge, says Blohm.
Sweden and Germany met twice before this year’s World Cup. In November, the teams played double training matches against each other in Ystad and Lund. Thus, the teams have a very good grasp of each other. Line Blom offers a brief analysis of the resistance:
– Germany’s strength is definitely their speed. They want to play a fast handball and counter a lot. Therefore, it is important that we take our chances and run home. If we make any technical errors, they will try to run us over. For us, it will also be important to try to break their defense. They have won a lot of second place during the championship and they play with an offensive defense. I think we have good players to face that type of defense. Our niometer players are smart enough. Germany, like Montenegro, is very physical. But unlike Montenegro, they will last the whole match.
Sweden has until now played all of its matches in Scandinavium in Gothenburg. From the quarter-finals onwards, games are played on Danish soil.
How does it feel to be on site in Herning?
– Good. This is where we wanted to be and now we are here. It will be great to play in the World Cup quarter-finals, continues Blohm at Tuesday’s press conference.
How has the day been?
– It has been a long day. On Monday we got to bed late after the match against Montenegro. Usually we get up and have breakfast at 10am after a match day, but on Monday we were up at 8.30am to travel here.
How is the weather?
– Cold. It is not snowy but a fresh, icy wind.
Sweden comes into the game on Wednesday evening with six straight victories in the bag. A flawless result, in other words.
– We have done very well in defense and goalkeeping. However, I think we can improve our counter play and second phase. It got better against Montenegro, but to face the toughest and best teams, we have to score easy goals.
On weekdays, Linn Blohm represents the Hungarian star club Györ. The parent association is spelled Gustavsbergs IF on the outskirts of Stockholm.
– In my time, Gustavbergs IF was a girls’ club with very few girls playing. It meant that you had to play with other ages. I got to play with the 89ers. We were quite good and a tight group, says Blohm, who was born in 1992.
In 2008, Blohm left Gustavsbergs IF and Stockholm for high school studies in Gothenburg and playing in IK Sävehof. In total, there were six instructive and successful years in the Partille club.
– A lot happened to me when I moved down to Partille. It was in Sävehof that everything started and there I laid the foundation for who I am today. It is probably thanks to the youth development that Sävehof has on players. I went from playing all the time to fighting for playing time. The Sävehof time meant everything for my handball career.
In total, Linn Blohm has scored nine goals during the ongoing world championship. The top scorer of Sweden’s middle sixes is the championship debutant Sofia Hvenfelt with twelve hits.
How do you think your new line colleague Sofia has behaved?
– Sofia has behaved very well so far. She has really taken advantage of her playing time. For being her first championship, she has been given a big role. It feels safe to sit on the bench when she plays, says Blohm with a smile.
Since Sweden and Germany are tonight’s first quarter-final, there won’t be any huge atmosphere, Blohm believes.
– Now we don’t face Denmark, which means it won’t be full. But there will probably be a lot of people there because Denmark is playing after us.
Return in the World Cup quarter-final between Sweden and Germany takes place at 17.30.
SWEDISH WC QUARTERFINALS THROUGH THE TIMES
WC 2023: Sweden–Germany
World Cup 2021: France–Sweden, 31–26
WC 2019: – (Sweden finished in seventh place after elimination in the main round. No quarter-finals were played.)
WC 2017: Sweden–Denmark, 26–23
WC 2001: Yugoslavia–Sweden, 32–18
WC 1993: – (Sweden finished in sixth place after elimination in the main round. No quarter-finals were played.)
WC 1957: – (Sweden finished in eighth place after elimination in the group stage. No quarter-finals were played. Worth noting is that only nine teams participated in the World Cup.)
Text: Olof Thyrelius Ericson
Photo: Bildbyrån
2023-12-13 11:09:52
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