Without the experience of Domagoj Duvnjak, Igor Karačić, and Ivan Pesic, who all retired after last year's World Championships on home surface, Croatia looked very ordinary against the Swedes, who punished the Croats for a multitude of mistakes.
Thanks to the winSweden won the group E, securing two points which they will carry to the main round, where they will first meet Slovenia; Croatia are set to play Iceland in their main round opener on Friday.
It was a pretty comprehensive victory by the Swedes, which could have been even greater. Coach Michael Apelgren didn't even bother calling any timeouts, content to watch Croatia rack up the mistakes - nine turnovers, three technical faults, and six two-minute suspensions. Despite the comprehensive win, Sweden were far from perfect, with seven turnovers, three technical faults, and two two-minutes.
Andreas Palicka's second-half antics (nine saves, 45 per cent) earned him the Player of the Match award. Zvonimir Srna was the game's leading goal scorer, netting seven from 10 shots, all in the first half.
