27.09.2012, 11:31
Five debutants in Swedish squad

Coach Per Johansson says farewell to the national team after tests against Iceland

Five debutants in Swedish squad

Two Scandinavian rivals and Women’s EHF EURO 2012 participants go head-to-head in two test matches on 2 and 3 October in Varberg and Uddevalla: Sweden go up against Iceland on their way to Serbia. Those games will be the last outing for Swedish national team coach Per Johansson.

After a long career with two qualifications for Olympic Games and a silver medal at the 2010 EHF EURO he announced that he will resign from his position after a disappointing campaign at the Olympics. As confirmed to ehf-euro.com by national team manager Stefan Lövgren, the Swedish Federation will announce Johansson’s successor at the beginning of October after the test matches against Iceland.

Johannson will use this to test some of the highly successful Swedish youngsters (youth and junior world champions in 2010 and 2012) in order to rejuvenate the teams in regard of the EHF EURO.

Five of 18 nominated players for the encounters with Iceland are debutants, coming from the junior team; four of them are junior world champions. “I am very excited to test them in these matches,” Johansson is quoted on the website of the Swedish Federation.

Johansson continued: “Iceland are a nation to be reckoned with and they have qualified for their third straight championship. So to face Iceland is a great starting point for our EHF EURO campaign, with two tough games everyone in the squad will get the chance to show their form.”

The Swedish squad for the test matches against Iceland:

Goalkeeper: Cecilia Grubbström (Viborg HK, 69 matches/1 goal), Maria Olsson (Aalborg DH, debutant), Filippa Idéhn (IK Sävehof, 9/0)

Wing players: Louise Sand (IK Sävehof, debutant), Jessica Helleberg (Team Esbjerg, 45/60), Emma Hawia Svensson (Skuru IK, debutant), Hanna Fgelström (Sävehof, 26/41)

Pivot: Linn Blohm (IK Sävehof, 1/0), Tina Flognman (Toulon Saint Cyr Var Handball, 213/380), Ulrika Ågren (Randers HK, 33/48)

Back court: Linnea Torstenson (RK Krim Mercator, 124/517), Isabelle  Gulldén (Viborg HK, 97/278), Johanna Ahlm (Viborg HK, 88/331), Angelica Wallén (Team Esbjerg, 42/61), Jamina Roberts (IK Sävehof, 49/70), Jenny Alm (IK Sävehof, 26/34), Maria Adler (Lugi HF, debutant), Linn Larsson (Lugi HF, debutant), Sabina Jacobsen (Randers HK, 42/70), Ida Odén (IK Sävehof, 3/3)

TEXT: Björn Pazen / bc