March the 15th, 2023 - In this edition of How to Croatia, I'm going to take you through the process of authenticating both foreign-issued and Croatian documents. For documents issued by certain countries, no such procedure is required. Read on.

First things first, why do you need to have certain foreign and Croatian documents authenticated, and what does that even mean?

Authentication is the legalisation of certain documents that Croatia requires to go through that process, such as diplomas, certificates, or public documents such as records.

Let's say you're an Indian national and you have documents issued to you officially by the Indian authorities and you need to have them authenticated for use here in Croatia. You'll need to have the authentication done by the Indian authorities, not the Croatian ones. This is usually done with an official stamp and/or mark such as a signature.

The process of authentication verifies the authenticity of the stamp and/or signature on the document, but not the content the document contains. 

So, back to being an Indian national with Indian documents which need to be authenticated by the Indian authorities - you'll need to do this in order to legally use said documents and have them be valid for Croatia. In order to exercise some sort of right that said documents afford you here in Croatia, an apostille stamp will be required from the issuing nation (in this case, India).

What about public Croatian documents?

If you need to have a public document issued by a Croatian authority authenticated, you'll need to request an apostille stamp from the municipal court in Croatia competent for the territory on which the issuing authority is located.

A German document requires the German authorities, a French document requires the French authorities, a Croatian document requires the Croatian authorities, etc.

The legalisation process for Croatian documents issued to you by the Croatian authorities:

If you have public Croatian documents which require legalisation by the powers that be and you're abroad, with the intention of exercising a right that document affords you abroad, you'll need to do the following:

First and foremost, you'll need to have that document or documents translated by a court interpreter in Croatia.

Then, you'll need to have it authenticated by the municipal court competent for the territory where the issuing authority is located, as touched on above.

You'll then have to request legalisation of a judge's signature and a court stamp from the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration

Last but by no means least, you'll need to then request legalisation of both the official signature and stamp of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

Sound like a headache? It can be. So be prepared to do a bit of running around. If you've spent any considerable amount of time in Croatia and dealt with anything remotely administrative, you'll already be aware of that. With that, I'll get into the next bit which will likely contribute to any headaches already being suffered. You'll need to request all of the above by paying a physical visit to the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration. Lucky you.

The Ministry of Justice and Public Administration authenticates documents for use abroad on:

From Monday to Thursday from 09:00 to 11:00 and then from 13:00 to 15:00.

On Fridays from 09:00 to 12:00.

Are there any countries and their documents which are exempt from this process?

Yes. Thanks to European Union (EU) regulations, more specifically the one which promotes one of the main pillars of the functioning of the bloc - freedom of movement - some countries and some documents are exempt.

Since the year 2019, certain (but not all) public documents and their certified copies issued by an EU member state are exempt from needing to go through the legalisation or authentication process within another EU member state. As stated, this doesn't mean every single document is exempt, and for some of them, you can ask for what's known as a multilingual standard form to avoid translation requirements.

You can find the list of countries which have some of their public documents exempt from this requirement by clicking here.

Caveats

These exemptions only apply to documents and their certified copies issued by an EU member state's public authorities which are being presented to the public authorities of another EU member state. For example, if you're a German national with certain German Government-issued documents, and you need those documents in Croatia, you won't need to have them authenticated or legalised by the use of an apostille.

As stated above, this applies in certain cases only, such as for the establishment of facts like death, birth, marriage, civil partnership, divorce, legal names and so on. More detailed information and other such items can be found by clicking here.

Costs can be accessed by clicking here.

SOURCES: Courts of the Republic of Croatia and the European Justice's e-Justice portal

For more on moving to and living in Croatia, which covers everything from ferry, pet and parking tips to getting residence, health insurance and a job, make sure to keep an eye out for our dedicated How to Croatia articles in our lifestyle section which are published every Wednesday.

March the 15th, 2023 - The organisers of the Green Future conference invite interested startups to submit innovative solutions in the field of sustainable development by May the 1st, 2023 to be in with a chance of winning 10,000 euros!

For the second consecutive year, Green Future is hosting a conference on ecology, energy, and smart cities at the beginning of June in Split's Croatian National Theatre. As part of this conference, the Startup Challenge will be held for companies that develop innovative solutions in the field of sustainable development. In addition to the lucrative main prize, there are also the Green Communication Awards awarded by Infobip for its products and services in the amount of 100,000 euros.

The Startup Challenge 2023 will allow representatives of ten startups to present their eco-ideas to the jury, and in addition to prizes and expert advice, be given the opportunity to network with industry titans and potential investors. The concept of the competition is also praised by last year's winners:

"By participating and winning the Startup Challenge, we received important support from the business and professional community, as well as confirmation that our application is something the market needs and wants to use. What impressed me the most was the incredible energy of the lecturers, participants, and organizers, their desire to go beyond the established framework of business and do something for the benefit of the environment, while at the same time enjoying themselves," said Duško Radulović from Climatig, last year's winner with an application for predicting climate risks.

The winner of the main Green Communication award last year was the Italian startup Must Had, whose mission is to speed up the transition towards sustainable fashion by selling high-quality clothes, created from the surplus of the fashion industry.

"As an international startup, the win enabled us to present projects to many people focused on sustainability and the circular economy. Just participating in the conference was an excellent opportunity for growth, thanks to networking opportunities and access to technical tools to improve our abilities," said Eugenio Riganti, co-founder of Must Had.

Marked as a tech event not to be missed, the Green Future Conference 2023 will be held in Split's HNK, on ​​June 1 and 2, with domestic and international speakers addressing the topics of green transition in the context of technology, finance, energy, environmental protection, public politics, and e-mobility.

"Green Future is a unique platform for connecting and encouraging changes towards a sustainable future, where everyone has the opportunity to network with experts from different industries, exchange experiences, and explore new business opportunities," said Ivan Burazin, Infobip board member for developer experience, emphasizing that the Startup Challenge is an opportunity to learn about the latest ideas on the market, and at the same time help young entrepreneurs on their way to success.

The first Croatian unicorn, Infobip, is also this year's main partner in the startup competition:

"We are proud to be part of the Green Future conference, as a fantastic platform for the exchange of ideas, where young developers get the opportunity to learn, progress and make key contacts." - said Nikola Pavešić, Infobip's director for the startup ecosystem and head of the Infobip Startup Tribe, and invited all young companies and individuals to apply for participation in the Startup Challenge.

Those interested can register here, and you can follow the news about the Green Future conference and the Startup Challenge 2023 on the official website.

For more, check out our business section.

March 15, 2023 - It's over. Or just starting, who knows, it's up to Dina to decide. Top Split swimmer Dina Levacic swam across the Cook Strait in New Zealand and thus completed the Oceans Seven.

As Slobodna Dalmacija writes, this Croatian long-distance swimmer swam the 23-kilometer-wide Cook's Strait in New Zealand, becoming only the 23^rd person in the world and the first in Croatia to swim all seven major world marathons. The first person to swim all seven channels was Stephen Redmond in 2012, while the last was Adrian Sarchet in February 2020.

Dina Levacic's story began in 2017 when she swam the Catalina Channel in California, then the English Channel in Europe, the Moloka'i Channel in Hawaii, the Tsugaru Strait in Japan, the Strait of Gibraltar, and the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland. The young woman from Split announced her latest success on social media on her 27^th birthday, after 11 hours of swimming, with high waves and an ocean temperature of around 16 degrees. The Cook Strait is located between the North and South Islands in New Zealand, and due to the low temperature of the ocean and strong currents, it is considered one of the most difficult swimming challenges.

"I would be overjoyed if it happened on my birthday, but it could also happen in the next few days," the optimistic Dina Levacic said at a recent press conference. Her birthday wish ended up coming true.

"Thank you to everyone who was by my side, not only in swimming but also in education, my professional and private life. This is the success of everyone who stands behind me; I am proud that my name will stand next to 22 others who completed all seven swims. And that the Croatian flag will stand next to those who swam the Oceans Seven. Now I just need to blow out the candles on my birthday cake before midnight", said Dina Levacic.

She shared how the sea felt and what she was going through.

"Greetings to everyone after the final adventure and project that began in 2017 with the Catalina swim. Today was quite challenging, which was expected, although I was hoping for the weather to be a bit calmer, but that's how it is in this sport. Unpredictable. The waves were quite strong, and we hoped the sea would calm down during the day, but it didn't. It was merciless, but the most important thing was that I reached the South Island and touched the coast, and the main goal was fulfilled. Now I can start realizing some new projects. This is a great success and the crown of 23 years of swimming training. All the sacrifice, work, and effort paid off. There were a lot of ups and downs along the way.

She still wants to swim...

"From Vis to Split, I hope that I will finally succeed," she announced at the press conference before leaving for New Zealand.

Dina's Oceans Seven

2017 - Catalina Channel in California

On August 3, 2017, Dina Levacic became the first person from Croatia to swim the 34 km long Catalina channel. She swam from Catalina Island to Los Angeles. The start was at night, at 11 pm local time. Dina crossed the finish line after 9 hours and 47 minutes, reaching the beach below the Trump National Golf Club.

2017 - The La Manche

Dina swam 45 kilometers in 11 hours and 42 minutes. The main challenge was beating herself, to spend a long time in the icy water with a temperature of 16.5 degrees. Although the channel is 34 kilometers wide in its narrowest part, more swimming is needed due to unfavorable conditions.

2018 - Moloka'i Channel in Hawaii

The Moloka'i channel in Hawaii is 42 kilometers long. The weather conditions for swimming the channel were far from ideal, a strong wind with gusts of 50 km/h, high waves that made swimming even more difficult, and even a jellyfish that burned her badly. However, none of these was an insurmountable obstacle, and this marathon lasted 13 hours.

2019 - Tsugaru Strait in Japan

Tsugaru in Japan is located between the islands of Honshu and Hokkaido and connects the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean. Dina started at midnight local time and swam almost 31 kilometers to Hokkaido in seven hours, 13 minutes, and 15 seconds.

2022 - Strait of Gibraltar

In 2022, this was Dina Levacic's fastest swim of 15.3 kilometers that, separate Europe from Africa, that is, Spain from Morocco. A total of 84 male and female swimmers swam across Gibraltar last year, and Dina swam across it on June 18 in just 3 hours and 3 minutes.

2022 - The North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland

Dina Levacic became the first person from Croatia to swim the 34-kilometer-wide North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland; it took her 10 hours, 26 minutes, and 58 seconds.

2023 - The Cook Strait in New Zealand

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Sport section.

March 15, 2023 - The fifth edition of the innovative Zagreb Festival of Lights kicks off tonight - where to find the magic around the Croatian capital.

One of the things I really like about tourism in Zagreb as opposed to the coast is that there are four distinct seasons. If there is one year-round tourism destination in Croatia, Zagreb is it, at least in my opinion. And not only that, but the way certain seasons are introduced is quite spectacular and lifts the mood in the city considerably. 

The best example of that, of course, is Advent in Zagreb, arguably Zagreb's best-known tourist event these days, which rose from nothing to become the best in Europe three years in a row. The city is transformed from a dark winter into several weeks of concerts, gastronomy and a beautifully decorated city. 

And so too a wonderful bundle of energy kicks off tonight, as Zagreb looks to Spring and those longer summer nights with the 5th edition of the Zagreb Festival of Lights, which will run from 1800-2300 from tonight until March 19, with a spectacular laser show at the Tuskanac Summer Theatre officially opening the festival at 19:00. 

Brought to you by the Zagreb Tourist Board and partners, with support from the City of Zagreb, imagination, art and light technologies will unite again, heralding spring through positive energy and good emotions. Over the next 5 days, there will be 33 attractions in some 28 locations in the Upper and Lower Town. 

At the festival press conference, Zagreb Tourist Board CEO Martina Bienenfeld, said: "After last year's premier expansion of Zagreb Light Festival locations, this year's edition again includes Donji grad, where we included some new locations to make it easier for everyone to visit and reduce crowds. Thus, we introduced the locations of Ribnjak, Stara Vlaška, Kurelčeva Street, the Square of Croatian Giants, the Square of the Victims of Fascism with which we rounded off the eastern part of the city center, and the Dolac and Opatovina markets are also new. The novelty is represented by international collaborations with artists from France, whose installations will be in four locations (Dolac, EU square, Trg kralja Tomislava and Ribnjak), as well as Italy and the Netherlands. I am also happy about the Croatian visit from Šibenik, and artists from Berlin joined us again. These guest appearances, as well as the great interest of foreign and domestic artists in future performances, show that the Zagreb Light Festival is becoming an authentic international project and event, so I would like to thank all the partners for their involvement in its very demanding and comprehensive implementation."

So where to find the action?

LOWER TOWN

Odd Dynamics / Mimara Museum

The spectacular projection will present the story of industrial revolutions throughout history visualized in an unusually satisfying animation style.

The Spirit of nature / Ban Josip Jelačić Square

This artwork celebrates the arrival of spring with its vibrant depiction of nature and blooming flowers, evoking a sense of renewal and growth in the viewer.

(Photo J. Duval)

The Transformation / Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb

May this dreamlike and lively dance inspire a transformation that awakes in us with the arrival of spring.

Anooki (Kiss) / European Square

Meet two giant Inuit-inspired figures.

Lumineoles / King Tomislav Square

Enjoy the dance of imaginary illuminated birds «Luminéoles». With their graceful wings they dance in the wind, bringing light and a poetic atmosphere in the air.

Anti - meandar / Croatian Association of Artists

''I have probably already painted my last paintings, but maybe not the first ones'', Julije Knifer.

Anooki (Apparition) / Dolac Market

After a long and cold winter, their ice has melted, and they are now embarking on a journey around the world.

Why oh why do I have to go to school? / Mažuranić square

Through ambient lighting on the park crowns and a broken LED wall we take you on a journey along the archives of the Croatian Museum of School.

Among The Clouds / Zrinjevac Park

Fly into your own little cosmos of creativity and let your imagination run wild as you swing on unique swings, surrounded by gentle lights and music that accompanies your daydreaming.

Neon circles / Music Pavilion – Zrinjevac

Notes cut music, threads cut clothes, and colors and light cut – life around us. Step into the world of vivid colors and magical installation patterns in the Music Pavilion.

Florescence / Lovački rog Passage

Experience spring through the Florescence ambient light installation.

(Photo Sanja Bistrici)

Circles / Zagreb Dance Center

A circle does not have a beginning. It also does not have an end. It is an eternal motif for various artists, it is found all around us in different forms, it is a perfect geometric shape.

(Photo Emmanuel Epanzarini)

Italian Flag / Kurelčeva Street

Special geometric pyramidal structures served as a painting canvas where the main artist is the light!

Luminous Vision / Old Vlaška

The picturesque landscape of illuminated images, each of which depicts the beauty and energy of the city in a unique and enchanting way, is an ideal opportunity for a night walk.

Glowing Starlight / Strossmayer Square

The "Glowing Starlight" installation will evoke the heart of Lenuci's horseshoe, which completely dominates the space.

Urban garden / Croatian Nobles Square

Discover a city center oasis in the urban garden with captivating luminous flowers.

UPPER TOWN

Lighthouse / Lotrščak Tower

Embark on a fairy tale adventure and join us in celebrating the arrival of new hope in our Zagreb.

(Photo copyright Janus van den Eijnden)

Absorbed by light / Strossmayer Promenade (East)

Three figures sit next to each other on a bench, displaying the typical characteristics of smartphone users: their heads are bent, fingers typing and swiping, and their faces lit up by their phone screens.

Awakening light / Lotrščak Tower

Multicolored lights will paint one of the most important buildings of the Upper Town – Lotrščak Tower!

New radiance / St. Catherine's Church

Experience an incredible projection that conveys the impression of a dance of transcendental dimensions and strong contrasts.

Glitch Garden / Dežman Pass

 Find out how much we truly notice greenery in our city with the Glitch Garden installation, which makes us think about coexistence with the nature around us.

Promenade of Colors / Strossmayer Promenade (West)

The Promenade of Colors brings a special spirit and charm by connecting with a playful light.

Outside the Wall / Parking Tuškanac

A touch of the Mediterranean has arrived in our metropolis.

Dancing Simetrix / Opatovina Park - playground

What better way to welcome spring than with a dance of light colors! Let the multimedia installation that combines movement, sound and light, i.e. dance, music and painting, inspire and motivate you to move and completely surrender to spring.

Twisted / Opatovina Park

Take a walk through the tunnel of colors and neon light and immerse yourself in new dimensions of space.

Laser Blockbuster / Tuškanac Summer Stage

What's better than a combination of dance and a superb light show? The performance of the Atomic Dance Factory dance group will accompany the Prolight show and its well-known laser effects.

Lumia / Atrium of the Zagreb City Museum

 Lumia, art created by light. This interesting installation creates different shapes with its fractals that continuously change in color and appearance.

Globoscope / Ribnjak Park

The impressive installation of the Globoscope is made from hundreds of luminous spheres.

(Photo J. Duval)

Luminous Horses / Ribnjak Park

A hidden oasis of greenery in the very heart of the city will delight visitors of the Festival of Lights this year with three of the brightest Lipizzans.

Meteorites / Ribnjak Park

Lovers of space and of all celestial have the opportunity to discover their brilliant colors!

EggOtrick / Ribnjak Park

An art installation will emerge in the middle of the Ribnjak Park, which at its core hides the birth of a new life through the play of light! 

Neon Playground / Dubravkin put

The magical playground takes us back to our childhood when we carelessly absorbed new colors and daydreamed.

The secret life of forests / Vraz's Promenade

What type of secrets are kept and what kind of conversations are held between city forests?

A magical, magical few days in Zagreb awaits. See you there. 

For much more on this magical festival, check out the official website.

March the 15th, 2023 - Croatian product exports to nearby Austria are very encouraging indeed, with excellent growth recorded within the SPAR retail network recently.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Croatian manufacturers and Croatian product exports are only continuing to achieve absolutely excellent results when it comes to selling their own products through the SPAR sales network in Italy, Austria, Slovenia and Hungary.

The total level of Croatian product exports circulating within SPAR stores increased in the aforementioned neighbouring or nearby countries compared to 2021 to 38.6 million euros, or by 36 percent. The total realised turnover for those same Croatian manufacturers through the SPAR retail network is now higher than 143 million euros.

The largest increase in Croatian product exports in 2022 was recorded in Austria, where sales of well-known Croatian products such as Podravka's Linolada and Vegeta and Atlantic's Cedevita grew the most. Grasevina Kutjevo and Badel Pelinkovac also recorded significant growth.

On the neighbouring Slovenian market, the most growth was achieved by the brand Violeta, which produces its own brand of wet wipes for SPAR. The data show that Slovenians also like traditional Slavonian products of the DOBRO (Good) brand marketed by Zito d.o.o., while the Italians still remain loyal to Croatian cod and Zigante truffles.

"We're glad that in addition to large Croatian manufacturers such as Podravka and Atlantic, more and more medium-sized and even small companies are achieving significant growth through the SPAR sales network," said Helmut Fenzl, president of the SPAR Croatia Management Board.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.

March the 15th, 2023 - The Croatian Building.hr platform aims to allow for the proper networking of domestic companies within the construction sector, and soon it will be made possible to leave reviews.

As Mladen Miletic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian construction sector has recently been richer for the introduction of the specialised Croatian Building.hr platform, which was conceived as a database of information, contacts and other valuable and relevant content for all kinds of companies working within the construction sector.

The main goal of the Croatian Building.hr platform is to network and connect domestic construction companies, help them find adequate and verified partners and subcontractors, speed up and simplify many of the administrative and other processes, and thus contribute to the stronger development of the construction industry across the Republic of Croatia.

Behind the idea of this innovative and helpful new platform is a team led by Maja Borovina Frankic, an economist with extensive experience in the construction sector through involvement in the family business, Spegra, which is otherwise a leader in the niche of rehabilitation works.

The Croatian Building.hr platform was created as a response to long-standing problems that the domestic construction sector has been and still is continuously struggling with, and which have been particularly emphasised over the last few years - a lack of skilled labour, unsystematic data, the unavailability of information, weak B2B cooperation, the disproportion of supply and demand with regard to geographical location(s), and significant lagging behind digital trends that are the norm elsewhere in Europe and the world.

"The idea is almost ten years old now, it has been being intensively developed for the last four of those years, and at the beginning of 2023 it finally saw the light of day. It was conceived as an exclusive, digital ecosystem of the entire market, where both private and public investors, companies regardless of their size and activity, independent experts, various institutions and the like can all find their place, and what they have in common is their participation in the construction market. By increasing cooperation between these companies, we can reduce and eliminate the difficulties we all face together," explained Maja Borovina Frankic.

In just over two months since its launch, the Croatian Building.hr platform already has more than 500 registered companies, and in the future it will also have the option of reviewing those companies. They will act as an information platform, for example, for announcing new materials that have arrived on the Croatian market and new trends taking place on foreign markets.

"The feedback we've been getting has been very good. By developing the platform and registering an increasing number of market stakeholders, the users of the platform enables easily accessible and systematic data, the easier finding of business entities, the realisation of B2B cooperation, job advertisements and marketing,'' concluded Maja Borovina Frankic.

For more, check out our dedicated news section.

March the 15th, 2023 - The small, family-run Brtonigla San Rocco hotel is set to raise its level of luxury with a reconstruction process after twenty long years of being in operation.

As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, it isn't just the level of luxury that the heritage Brtonigla San Rocco hotel is raising, it's also making sure it is ticking the increasingly important box of sustainability by introducing green technologies and digital solutions.

To be more specific, the Brtonigla San Rocco hotel is one of the many small hotels that responded to the recently completed and published tender for money from the National Recovery and Resilience Programme (Croatian: NPOO). This was confirmed by Tullio Fernetich, the owner of this exclusive tourist facility in beautiful Istria, who believes that his project meets all the criteria from the tender.

Business adjustments

"Owing to its specific criteria, this tender fully coincided with our previous way of working as well as the idea for renovation that will bring us more added value through green and digital solutions. After twenty whole years on the market, it's now time to additionally try to adapt to today's business conditions and modern market requirements, as well as to mitigate the impact of current not so favourable circumstances related to energy prices. Our project includes the introduction of sustainable solutions across all segments of business while raising our standards that will enable us to generate higher incomes and extend the tourist season," Fernetich explained.

The Brtonigla San Rocco hotel project is worth 1.5 million euros in total and doesn't envisage the expansion of the existing capacity of fourteen rooms, instead, it's aiming for renovation and the introduction of new technologies. It includes the replacement of all appliances that consume too much energy in the hotel and restaurant, a new heating and cooling system with solar panels and heating pumps, the introduction of smart room systems and the elimination of fossil fuels.

The works will start after this summer season ends and everything should be finished by the time the 2024 summer season rolls around. The owner of the hotel employs around 25 people throughout the year, and the San Rocco hotel is one of the thirteen complexes from within the Association of Small Family Hotels (OMH) that holds the Eco green certificate that the association introduced about a year ago.

Family and small hotels are most often located in less developed destinations, and as many as a quarter of them are in the continental part of Croatia. Very often, they're open throughout the entire year, and their offer emphasises authentic, local and healthy products, and preserves heritage and the entire space as a resource.

Sime Klaric, the president of OMH, revealed that fifteen more hotels are about to be certified, and he is convinced that this number will increase dramatically after the implementation of numerous investment projects from the NPOO.

"We don't have the exact figures on how many small hotels applied for the tender, but if we know that the vast majority of applicants are small and medium-sized companies, it's precisely this segment of tourism that is traditionally oriented towards green business. There's already a lot of investment going on, and all those who failed to prepare projects for this tender will have the opportunity to do so with the new financial instruments that are set to follow,'' explained Klaric.

The next step of the association is towards the Energy Efficiency Fund with the aim of introducing a special favourable line for the introduction of alternative energy sources. These are investments whose amounts are even lower than those foreseen in the NPOO, and the need for such adjustments in the sector is great, as they guarantee great savings in the future.

According to Klaric, although the coming season will bring a lot of optimism with it, they're finally returning to and even exceeding the numbers from before the global coronavirus pandemic, and behind these hotels lie a few very lean years indeed.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated news section.

March 14, 2023 - After winning the 2022 European Championship in Split last September, Croatia did not advance to the Water Polo World Cup final tournament in California at the end of June. 

The Croatia men's water polo players will not go to California in June for the World Cup final tournament. In the match that decided the second trip to the Super Final, Hungary beat Croatia 13:10 and thus secured their trip to Los Angeles. Italy and the USA also qualified from Croatia's group. 

Croatia was not good from the beginning. Hungary led throughout the game, from 0:2 to 1:5 at the beginning of the second quarter. It didn't help that the Hungarian left winger Gergo Zalanki had a perfect evening, scoring 7 goals from 9 attempts. He went on to win the "Player of the Match" award.

There were other aggravating circumstances, like the early dismissal of Kharkov due to three personal fouls. This significantly weakened Croatia. 

Nevertheless, Croatia did not give up in front of a sold-out Zagreb crowd, even when Hungary took a 10:6 lead a minute before the end of the third quarter. Moreover, with four consecutive goals (Lazić, Burić, Vrlić, and Bašić) Croatia equalized at 10:10, exactly 3 minutes and 17 seconds before the end.

However, Hungary reached 12:10 in one minute through Vigvari and Zalanki, and the last goal for the final 13:10 was scored by Manhercz just 21 seconds before the end, on an empty net. That was no longer so important because goalkeeper Popadić, who replaced Bijač in the last quarter, logically went on the attack.

"We lost the match because we opened it badly. Especially in the attack. We conceded only three goals from the first 10 extra man plays. We were throwing blocks, unprepared, limp. We didn't go in as hard as I expected and what I was looking for. Then, during the whole match, we spent a lot of time. What I have to congratulate the guys on is the character they showed. They expressed their desire, equalized, and then in the end we obviously can't move forward. We were confused offensively, and Zalanki, who only arrive on Sunday, killed us. He obviously benefited from the rest," said coach Ivica Tucak. 

"We didn't even start the game well, and we were already losing 5:1. Again, we showed character, and got back to 10:10, but then... A little deconcentration or fatigue because we spent a lot of effort to equalize, which then cost us by conceding a goal or two too easily," added Marko Žuvela. 

Source: HVS

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.