Melwin Pantzar was the top scorer in Sweden with 22 points. If he had scored three more points in the final seconds of the fourth period away against Bulgaria, Sweden would have won and definitely secured the European Championship ticket.
But the Spain-pro's shot at 70-70 went in and out.
Of course, it feels sour - I thought the shot would go in. But sometimes you make it, sometimes you miss, says Pantzar.
It was close to a Swedish victory even in the subsequent overtime, when they led 75-70. But Bulgaria turned it around and won 81-77 (25-22, 9-17, 24-15, 12-16, 11-7) in the fully packed arena in Botevgrad in western Bulgaria, four miles northeast of the capital Sofia.
Now, an exciting conclusion to the European Championship qualification awaits - where Sweden still has a significant advantage.
Head-to-Head Meetings
For despite the loss to Bulgaria, Sweden has the upper hand in head-to-head meetings against Bulgaria in the battle for the third European Championship spot behind Germany and Montenegro in the group. Sweden won the European Championship qualifying opener against Bulgaria with 84-70 last year and thus had the luxury of losing tonight's away game by up to 13 points and still having the matter in their own hands.
In Sunday's qualifying finale, Sweden will face Montenegro at home at the Hovet and Bulgaria will meet Germany away. If Sweden wins, the European Championship ticket is secured. And even if Sweden loses to Montenegro, Bulgaria would need to win against world champion Germany to be able to pass - otherwise, Sweden is clear for the European Championship.
And that it would be awesome to secure the European Championship ticket at home at the Hovet - where Sweden surprisingly won 73-72 against Germany last autumn - Melwin Pantzar agrees.
It would really be, it would be a dream - in front of our people. It would have been incredible, actually. That's the goal, he says.
40 Points
In Bulgaria, it was all about NBA-merited superstar Sasha Vezenkov. The top scorer scored a whopping 40 points, but Bulgaria was under pressure to win by at least 14 points to have a more realistic starting position in the qualifying finale.
The 2025 European Championship will take place from August 27 to September 14 in Poland, Finland, Latvia, and Cyprus.
The last time the Swedish men's basketball team participated in a European Championship final was in 2013.
