After a somewhat slow start, where North Macedonia actually led for a few minutes, Sweden got going more and more – not least through right-back Nathalie Hagman, who scored five goals in the first half and contributed to Sweden leading 15-7 at halftime.
We're missing a lot of shots in the beginning of the half, but I think as the match goes on, it looks better, said Hagman to Viaplay at halftime.
"It's sloppy"
In the second half, it became increasingly clear that North Macedonia couldn't keep up. It took almost nine minutes for their first goal in the second half to fall, while they failed to stop the Swedish players.
Even though North Macedonia picked up a bit at the end, it was still a clear Swedish victory with 28-18. Despite Sweden's dominance, national team coach Tomas Axnér was not entirely satisfied with the win.
I think we have good defensive play, good counter-attacks, but it's also sloppy and many technical errors. I think we faced a pretty weak opponent, and I think the girls felt that too, that it's hard to get motivated, but we should do what we're good at well, he says.
Tougher opponents await
Next, Sweden faces tougher opponents, meeting host nation Hungary on Saturday. They defeated Turkey 30-24 in their premiere match.
This will be something of a must-win match for Sweden – if "Blågult" wins, the road to the European Championship semifinals looks very promising. If they lose, it will be much tougher to advance far in the playoffs.
We've met Hungary many times in a short period, so it feels like we know each other very well. I think our defensive play will be the key in that match, says goalkeeper Johanna Bundsen.
Sweden's upcoming group stage matches:
30/11: Hungary (18.00)
2/12: Turkey (20.30)
Sweden plays its group stage and potential intermediate round in Debrecen, Hungary. The two top teams in six four-team groups advance to the intermediate round, where two six-team groups are created.
The two top teams in the six-team groups advance to the semifinals, which, like the medal matches, are played in Vienna, Austria.
The European Championship takes place from November 28 to December 15.
