The 39-year-old Palicka played his 43rd European Championship match, with many family members in the stands in Malmö. He was hailed by the home crowd as the player of the match after his strong performance and the 34–21 victory against Switzerland.
It's emotional, of course, but in the end I'm still standing here with a broken heart. An extremely big disappointment, he says after Sweden missed the semi-finals of the European Handball Championship.
The national team veteran realized that this was the last time he would play a championship match on home soil. When asked if there would be more championships in the future, Palicka gave the same answer he does every year:
I ask that you please come back to that.
