October 23, 2019 - The men’s and women’s Croatia handball teams hit the court at Arena Zagreb on Wednesday for a friendly against Germany. The women's side drew, while the men's battle saw Germany win 25:26.
The female side was the first to play on Thursday, which resulted in a 21:21 draw against Germany.
This is a great result for Croatia, who was without their players from abroad and Podravka, and with seven debutants.
Croatia trailed behind Germany for most of the game - however, 45 seconds before the end, Kristina Prkacin scored the equalizing goal. Germany was unable to score until the end and the women’s Croatia handball side recorded an excellent result in their first appearance at the Arena.
The heroine of the game was goalkeeper Tea Pijevic who booked 15 saves. Four goals were scored by Dora Kalaus and Ivana Dežić, while Andrea Simara was 3/3. The best for Germany was Emily Bolk with five goals.
Recall, coach Nenad Sostaric is using this test match to prepare for EURO 2020 qualifications.
The men's side met Germany directly after the women's teams drew. In a close battle, it was Germany to finish on top 25:26.
After a draw in the first half, Germany led 16:20 in the second, though Lino Cervar’s side found a way back into the game. In the last attack, Croatia had a chance to equalize, but Sebetic failed to score.
Vlado Matanovic led Croatia with five goals, while Luka Stepancic and David Mandic each scored four. Sego recorded nine saves in goal. Tobias Reichman scored five goals to be the best for Germany.
Recall, the men’s handball side is preparing for the European Championships, which begins on January 9, 2020, and is played in three countries - Austria, Norway, and Sweden. Croatia is in Group A to be played in Graz, along with Belarus, Montenegro, and Serbia.
Both Croatia handball teams head to Hanover for a rematch in three days.
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