Sweden finish the preliminary round unbeaten after defeating Croatia

Sweden defeated Croatia 33–25 in Malmö to win European Championship group E with a perfect preliminary record. The co-hosts carried two points into the main round, while Croatia advanced with none after suffering their first defeat of the tournament.

The match remained close for the first fifteen minutes before Sweden created a three-goal lead and reached half-time ahead 17–13. Strong goalkeeping then supported a 4–1 run after the restart, stretching the advantage to 22–14 seven minutes into the second half.

Eric Johansson and Nikola Roganović scored five each for Sweden, with Andreas Palicka earning the match award. Zvonimir Srna scored seven for Croatia as Sweden registered their seventieth victory in European Championship history.