Handball · International
Lövgren leads Sweden to eight-goal win in European handball opener
Sweden began their defence of the European men’s handball championship with a 31–23 win over Iceland in Rijeka on 21 January 2000.
2000-01-21 · Rijeka
Event date:
The result
Sweden began their defence of the European men’s handball championship with a 31–23 win over Iceland in Rijeka on 21 January 2000. The opening Group B fixture gave the reigning champions a clear eight-goal victory as the Croatian-hosted tournament got under way.
The competition
Stefan Lövgren scored seven goals for Sweden, with Staffan Olsson adding six and Ljubomir Vranjes five. Sweden led 18–10 at half-time and maintained that eight-goal advantage through the second half. Iceland’s leading scorer in the match was Gustaf Bjarnason with five, while Valdimar Grímsson scored four.
The wider context
The official EHF match record lists 1,200 spectators. Sweden’s next group match was against Denmark on 22 January, before meetings with Portugal, Slovenia and Russia. The Iceland result was the first of five Swedish group-stage wins in a campaign that ultimately produced a successful defence of the European title.
Sources
Check the original record.
Open the governing body or organiser’s publication for the underlying result, decision or tournament update.