The Swedish men's handball team captain had a lot of positive things to talk about after the 36–31 victory in the European Championship opener against the Netherlands in Malmö Arena, but one happy thing stood out on Saturday evening:
HK Malmö's top scorer, Nikola Roganovic.
In his championship debut and only the seventh senior international of his career, the left-back was responsible for seven goals - despite the 19-year-old only coming on after just over 20 minutes. Six of them were from penalties.
“It feels obvious”
"He feels natural at this level. He's not the guy who talks the most or the loudest, but he has a hell of a lot of confidence in a good way. He just goes in and plays and takes these levels all the time," says Apelgren.
The teammates joined in the chorus of praise.
"I'm not surprised. I see him every day and what he delivers every day is truly world-class. It's just a pleasure to watch him. He's absolutely awesome," says playmaker Felix Claar.
Eric Johansson started as a left-back and also shone offensively. Especially in the first half when the 25-year-old scored five of his total six goals. The Kiel pro also paid tribute to Roganovic.
"It can't get much better. Seven goals in seven shots and then he got a red card. You can't ask for more on a debut," says Johansson.
Shortly after he came on, Roganovic was fouled on a free kick by the Netherlands' playmaker Luc Steins, who received a red card and was sent to the stands.
“Very good player”
This summer, Roganovic leaves HK Malmö to play for Bundesliga club Gummersbach.
"He is an incredibly good player who has a very good future ahead of him in Germany," says Johansson.
Veteran Max Darj, 34, also sounded a warning.
"It's fun for the guy to come in and show right away that he's someone to be reckoned with. From here on, it's only going to get harder for him. Now people know who he is. It's going to be really fun to follow him," says the veteran.
In the second group-stage match of the European Championship, Sweden will face Georgia at Malmö Arena on Monday.
