We have made it very difficult for ourselves to make anything good out of this tournament, says veteran Jamina Roberts to Viaplay.
After clear victories against the Czech Republic and Cuba, Sweden lost to Brazil when the World Cup's first group stage was completed on Monday evening in Stuttgart.
The teams that now advance to the intermediate round will take the points with them in their head-to-head matches, but due to the loss, Blågult will have to settle for two points when matches await against Norway, South Korea and Angola.
This means that Sweden will probably need three straight wins to have a chance of reaching the World Cup quarter-finals – which is where the top two teams in the intermediate round reach. Giants Norway await in Dortmund on Wednesday.
Lagerquist limped off
"Now we've put ourselves in a position where we probably need to beat Norway. Or if Brazil loses a little in the next round, we might have a chance. We need to go home and examine ourselves," says Jamina Roberts.
The loss wasn't the only setback.
A foot injury kept Anna Lagerquist out of action when Sweden won the first two World Cup matches in Stuttgart, but the middle six was ready for the Brazil match.
After 23 minutes, the 32-year-old lay down on the field after a duel with an opponent and was forced to limp off the field.
"It's not the knee, it's the foot and not her old injury either. It's something with the heel," national team doctor Örjan Johannesson tells Viaplay.
He says that the medical team currently does not know what the problem is and that Lagerquist will undergo further examinations.
National captain Tomas Axnér believes that Sweden lost a lot in defense when Lagerquist disappeared.
That's her expertise. It's clear that we miss her, Axnér tells Viaplay.
Despite Sweden dominating the first half – thanks in large part to a great performance by Johanna Bundsen in goal – Blågult only led 16–15 at halftime.
Became a shiverer
A few minutes into the second act, Brazil took the lead for the first time in the match and from there it developed into a thriller.
"We let ourselves go too easily. They score goals everywhere," says Jamina Roberts.
With barely three minutes left to play, Roberts narrowed the deficit to one point, but Sweden didn't get any closer and Brazil was able to win 31–27.
The Women's Handball World Championship in the Netherlands and Germany now continues with the intermediate round.
Blue and yellow have two points after two wins and one loss in the first group game. Now Sweden's group D will cross paths with the top three from group H.
The standings: Norway 4 points, Brazil 4, Sweden 2, Angola 2, South Korea 0, Czech Republic 0.
Sweden's upcoming matches (Dortmund):
December 3: Norway (8:30 p.m.).
December 5: South Korea (6:00 p.m.).
December 7: Angola (6:00 p.m.).
The top two teams in the four groups in the intermediate round will advance to the quarterfinals on December 10.
If Sweden goes there, the match will be played in Dortmund and the opposition will be drawn from the intermediate round's group 2, which consists of Germany (4 points), Spain (2), Montenegro (2), the Faroe Islands (2), Serbia (2) and Iceland (0).
Semifinals (December 12) and medal matches (December 14) will be played in Rotterdam.
Sweden's results in the first group stage:
31–23 against the Czech Republic.
46–17 against Cuba.
27–31 against Brazil.
