“I am 30 per cent goalkeeper and 70 per cent emotions”

He saves, he scores and he celebrates in a way that elevates not only his team but emanates energy beyond the court — Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Palicka is undoubtedly one of the most charismatic and entertaining players to watch.

The 35-year-old has not only made 54 saves in seven matches at the EHF EURO 2022 but set a record for most goals scored by a goalkeeper in a single match at the EHF EURO in the semi-final against France, as he netted three times on long-range efforts. Remarkably, he was even the top scorer of the game at the 20-minute mark with his tally of three.

The previous record for goalkeepers in one EHF EURO match was two goals, with four players achieving that at the 2020 edition. Palicka was one of them, along with Switzerland’s Nikola Portner, France’s Vincent Gerard and Germany’s Andreas Wolff.

But those statistics will not matter for Palicka as he gears up to battle for his first gold medal, after clinching silver medals at both the EHF EURO 2018 and World Championship 2021.

“We know what we have to do”

“For this team, this is the third final. We played a European championship final 2018, lost it, and also the World Championship final. So, we have collected a little bit of experience, of course, in these kinds of games. We have a couple of players in the team who are used to playing these kinds of games,” says Palicka, commenting on what his side have learned over recent years as they aim for a different ending to a title match this time around. 

“We are one year, two years older as a team and have more experience so we know what we have to do. We have to stick to our plan and do our work, then we will have a chance against Spain.”

While EHF EURO 2018 MVP Jim Gottfridsson is one name on everyone’s lips as the leader for Sweden after his outstanding performances again at this edition, Palicka’s influence for the Scandinavian team is also significant. Sweden were behind by four goals early in the semi-final against France, and Palicka’s saves and goals played an important part in his team’s comeback. His third goal was the equaliser for 10:10 and France never reclaimed the advantage after that.

At the World Championship one year ago, Palicka was named All-star Team goalkeeper. He did not have the highest number of saves but again, his impact on Sweden’s game was undeniable. He has shown a tendency to rise to the occasion in crunch matches — 12 saves in Friday’s semi-final against France, including two in the last 66 seconds against clear chances to secure the victory, and going back to a year ago, 10 saves in the World Championship quarter-final versus Qatar then 11 against France in the semi-final.

And it is how he celebrates those saves that really brings extra energy to the court for Sweden — and is part of what makes him so fun to watch.

“That’s me as a handball player. I think it’s just my personality and the way I play handball. I used to say I am 30 per cent goalkeeper and 70 per cent emotions and that’s just me as a person. So, if the spectators are having it [too], it’s of course fun for us,” smiles Palicka.

His teammate Jonathan Carlsbogard says: “You always feel it. He’s an emotional player of course, so you can’t miss him.”

“That just shows me that hard work pays off”

The semi-final against France was not the only match that saw Sweden come from behind to take an important victory. In the direct duel for the penultimate stage in their last main round game, against Norway, Sweden were behind 19:23 with six minutes to go — but then went on a five-goal run to secure a one-goal victory in the dying seconds.

Palicka did not play that match but notes the overall progression of the team when it comes to these high-pressure situations and how it helps the team at this final stage of the EURO.

“We have been taking a lot of steps as a team, in every step of the game. For us, last year in the World Championship, no one counted on us. We played like underdogs the whole tournament and did an amazing job. And this year, of course, everyone has expectations,” says Palicka.

“The group phase was not the best kind of handball from us, but we stick to our plan and we believe in what we are doing. And that just shows me that hard work pays off and what morale we have in this team. So of course, we stay strong for the final and let’s see what happens tomorrow.”

Four years ago, Sweden qualified for the final after overthrowing Denmark in an extra time semi-final. At that point, the team had not reached the EURO title match since the last of their three straight trophies was won in 2002. Alongside the three titles from 1998 to 2002, Sweden were also the winners of the very first EHF EURO in 1994. The 1998 final was won against Spain.

Now, Sweden again have the chance to extend their record of four EHF EURO titles to five — but for this squad, it would be a very special first. So what does Palicka find different since they faced Spain in the 2018 edition?

“Nothing is different. It’s a final. It’s 0:0 and it’s 60 minutes and it’s two great teams and the two best teams of the tournament are going to play the final. I think both teams are going to do everything to win it,” says Palicka.

“You see in every game here that it’s just, I don’t know the word in English, but small, small things that are making the winners. For us yesterday [in the semi against France], we had two goals lead with 45 seconds. They had a chance for an equaliser in the last seconds. So it’s just handball. It’s amazing. And let’s see what happens on Sunday.”