January 26, 2021 -  We experienced nothing short of a Croatia handball fiasco on Monday night, which resulted in Croatia's worst placement in World Champs history. Will coach Lino Cervar stick to his resignation?

After losing to Denmark, the Croatia national handball team said goodbye to the World Championship in Egypt. Apart from the debacle in the decisive match for the quarterfinals, Croatia has achieved its worst placement in the World Championship history.

The Cowboys thus finished in 15th place, behind Russia and ahead of Switzerland.

Before this World Championship in Egypt, the worst Croatian ranking at the World Championship was 13th place from the Japan tournament in 1997.

At that tournament in Japan, Croatia lost to Russia 31:20, which was the heaviest defeat for Croatia at the World Championships until now. Croatia lost by 12 goals (38:26) to Denmark on Monday. 

Recall, after the defeat by Argentina, which seriously complicated Croatia's quarterfinal path, coach Lino Cervar resigned in a heated post-match interview. But will he stick to his resignation? Cervar revealed his plans after the Denmark defeat, as reported Gol.hr. 

"I said they were the favorites; they are world champions, especially without our core players who are not here. It was difficult for players who play less to resist Denmark. We played well in the first half, and later we ran out of strength. I want to congratulate our players on their wishes and will," said Lino Cervar and continued:

"I want to say something. When I love someone who loves us, it’s not some merit. We should love those who do not love us. These are people who want to humiliate and minimize us, but I don’t think that’s good. I’ve loved people in my life who hated me, and that’s why I got better. We cannot be better off without mercy; it is important for our future.

In this situation, Denmark was stronger. This is not a failure for me; this is a real situation. I am a little sorry that I hurried with that statement," pointed out Cervar about his resignation and continued:

"You cannot forget about the Croatia that played handball in 2020. You watched the Euro matches where we were the best national team; then we were very prepared. Duvnjak is the best player in Europe; he was sick, he had corona, and the other day he had a fever. Karacic still has that pain, but he wanted to help. Stepancic and Cindric are not there; what did you expect, that the young player from Nexe will be the one to solve it? Martinovic is a great talent, but he is not ready to overthrow Denmark yet; he has to train for a long time. I thought it was better that we went with the younger players to this championship; many national teams have rejuvenated their national team, they were in decline, and today they are moving towards the top. Let's have a little understanding.

I would say to all our clubs and the federation that we have to help the clubs. People think we will win gold here, we have to have a lot of strong clubs that produce new players, new Duvnjaks… It will take a long time for new ones to come; we have a small base," said Lino and ended in a positive tone:

"I will not completely leave handball while my head is working. I look older, but my head is working, sometimes I wish I would play better in defense," said Cervar.

Croatia will gather in March for the Olympic qualifying tournament in France. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.  

January 25, 2021 - There will be no quarterfinals for Croatia after Denmark won by a shocking 12 goals in the decisive main round match on Monday night. 

After a nail-biting final minutes, Qatar defeated Argentina 26:25 in their final main round match of the World Championship in Egypt on Monday, significantly helping Croatia's chance at a quarterfinal spot. 

Recall, Croatia needed Qatar to win to stay in the game for the quarterfinals - and with a victory against Denmark on Monday, Croatia would secure a spot in the quarterfinal match against Sweden.

Not only did this game mean nothing to Denmark, who already secured first place in the group, but at least eight players caught the stomach flu, forcing them to play with a weakened squad.

Unfortunately, the reigning Olympic and World Champs were still able to show why they are the best in the world. 

Denmark v. Croatia Recap 

Mamic scored the first goal of the match for 0:1 Croatia. Pesic saved Denmark's first attack.

Mandic made it 0:2 for Croatia in the 2nd minute.

Denmark scored their first goal from a 7-meter throw just under 4 minutes in (1:2). Denmark equalized for 2:2 in the 5th minute. 

Maric scored for 2:3 one minute later - and Horvat made it 2:4 second after that.

Mamic scored his second goal of the game for 3:5, and Horvat scored his second for 4:6 in the 11th minute. 

Denmark equalized in the 15th minute - 6:6. 

Karacic scored a rocket one minute later to put Croatia back in the lead - 6:7. 

Denmark took the lead for the first time in the 18th minute - 8:7.

Martinovic scored to slightly reduce Denmark's lead - 9:8 in the 20th minute. The young Croatia player scored again for 10:9. 

Maric scored for 11:10 in the 23rd minute, and Sebetic for 12:11 in the 24th. 

Duvnjak scored his first goal of the game for 13:12 with four minutes to go in the first half. Martinovic scored for 14:13 in the 27th.

Karacic scored his second goal of the game for 15:14 - Croatia was still behind by one with two minutes to go.

With just over 30 seconds to go, Cupic scored from 7-meters for 16:15. Denmark scored from 7-meters with 5 seconds to go, going into halftime at 17:15.

Only two minutes into the second half and Denmark was up by four goals - 19:15. 

In the 36th minute, Denmark lead by 7 goals - 22:15. 

Karacic scored Croatia's first goal of the second half in the 37th minute for 22:16 - and scored again three minutes later for 25:17. 

Cupic scored for 28:18 in the 43rd minute. Maric scored for 32:19 in the 48th minute - Croatia was down by 13 goals. Maric scored for 33:20 in the 52nd. 

Karacic scored for 35:22 in the 53rd minute. Cupic scored from 7-meters with five minutes to go (36:24).

With one minute to go, Denmark led 37:26. The match ended 38:26 for Denmark. 

The Croatia national team will gather again soon to play a qualifying tournament for the Tokyo Olympics in March. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.  

January 24, 2021 - Croatia and Denmark will meet on Monday in a decisive match for Croatia's fate in the quarterfinals of the World Championship in Egypt. What can we expect? 

Croatia suffered a shocking defeat to Argentina on Saturday night, complicating their path to the quarterfinals of the World Championship in Egypt. While a win would have locked in a spot among the eight best national teams, Croatia must now defeat reigning Olympic and World Champions Denmark and rely on a Qatar victory against Argentina to push them through to the next phase of the tournament. 

Argentina and Qatar play from 6 pm on Monday, and Croatia and Denmark meet two and a half hours later - at 8:30 pm CET.

Denmark is no stranger to Croatia, and behind Spain and France, it is a national team they have met the most times. Namely, Croatia and Denmark have played 18 times, with an even win-loss ratio - both teams have nine wins and nine losses, and they have never drawn. 

At the World Champs, Croatia and Denmark have met a handful of times.

In Portugal in 2003, on the road to the gold, Croatia celebrated 33:27 in a second-round match. Four years later, in Germany, Croatia won 28:26 in the second round in which Ivano Balić excelled with nine goals. In Sweden in 2011, in front of a packed Malmo Arena, Croatia lost 34:29. Kasper Sondergaard led Denmark with ten goals, and Mikkel Hansen scored nine goals. Croatia suffered an even heavier defeat in the 2013 semifinals. After seven consecutive wins, Denmark beat Croatia by 14 goals (34:20) and went on to the final. In the end, Croatia received the bronze medal, which is the last medal from the World Championship.

The two sides have met the most at the Euros, nine times, with four wins to Croatia and five to Denmark. You might remember the especially painful Euro 2008 final when Denmark won 24:20. 

But the European medal is just one of many in Denmark's collection. Namely, they have won the second-most medals won in European Championship history, with a total of six - two gold (2008, 2012), one silver (2014), and three bronze medals (2002, 2004 & 2006). Only Spain has more.

And let's not forget that as of January 2019, they are the reigning Olympic and World Champions. Denmark topped France in Rio and Norway at the World Championship hosted in Denmark and Germany two years ago. 

But when Croatia plays like we know they can, they are a force to be reckoned with, too. 

The Cowboys' shaky World Championship campaign can be attributed to a few things. For starters, captain Domagoj Duvnjak and Luka Cindric had just played in the Champions League final before traveling to Egypt. If they weren't already fatigued, Duvnjak also battled COVID-19 and Cindric an adductor injury, which sent him back home to Barcelona to recover. 

Furthermore, Igor Karacic and Luka Stepancic had to cancel their preparations with Croatia due to injuries, and Marin Sego and Manuel Strlek were still in the process of recovery. Recall, Sego didn't return to the starting lineup until the 19th minute of the Qatar match, thus missing Croatia's first two group stage matches against Japan and Angola. 

To make matters worse, several team members complained of stomach problems the day before Argentina, and Ivan Martinovic and Domagoj Duvnjak were in the worst condition. Martinovic missed training and tested for coronavirus as a precaution, but the result was negative. Other players felt weaker symptoms, which was undoubtedly concerning before the most crucial match of the tournament so far. 

Fortunately, two hours before yesterday's match, the Croatian Handball Federation confirmed that everyone would be ready, though we failed to see that reflected on the court.

Croatia was mostly lost in the attack against Argentina, and the game went down as one of the worst in Croatian handball history.

Coach Lino Cervar even resigned from the bench afterward and said that Croatia must be led by someone else. Cervar's harsh reaction came while Croatia still technically has a chance for the quarterfinals - and one Qatar player could be their hope. 

As mentioned before, Croatia is no longer dependent on itself and must rely on Qatar on Monday in the clash against Argentina.

Namely, Gol.hr reports that Qatar can also make it to the quarterfinals with a win against Argentina and a Croatia defeat against Denmark. 

Qatar will indeed play their best for a victory, especially since the team's top player returned to the squad only yesterday after coming down with COVID-19. Rafel Capote scored nine goals in his first match at the tournament yesterday against Bahrain and showed that he is in great form and ready to overcome Argentina.

Capote is a great shooter, and in addition to the always unpleasant Saric in goal, Qatar has several serious players who can challenge Argentina. 

So, who will it be? Monday is D-Day. Tune in from 6 pm CET! 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

January 23, 2021 - In the shocking second match of the main round, Argentina tops Croatia 23:19. 

Croatia played a key match against Argentina on Saturday evening, one that could have secured them a spot in the quarterfinals of the World Championship in Egypt. A win would have ensured Croatia a place among the eight best national teams in the world before the end of the main round. In that case, the match against the reigning world champion Denmark on Monday would be played only for a better position before the quarterfinals. However, with an Argentina win, Croatia would need a victory against Denmark - and Qatar would need to defeat Argentina for the Cowboys to see the next round. 

Worrying news arrived the day before the match, as RTL reported that several members of the Croatia team complained of stomach problems, and Ivan Martinović and Domagoj Duvnjak were in the worst condition. Martinović missed training and was tested for coronavirus as a precaution, but the result was negative. Other players felt weaker symptoms, which was certainly concerning before the most important match of the tournament so far. 

Fortunately, two hours before the match, the Croatian Handball Federation confirmed that everyone would be ready.

Croatia met Argentina four times before tonight's match at the 2021 World Championship and recorded three victories. In 2005 at the World Championship, Croatia was convincing with a score of 36:23, in 2011, another convincing victory of 36:18, and a close win at the 2016 Olympic Games (27:26). Argentina only defeated Croatia at the 2003 World Championship, celebrating 30:29.

Argentina beat Congo 28:22 and Bahrain 24:21 in the first phase of the competition and lost to Denmark 20:31. In the first match of the second round, they beat Japan 28:24. Before tonight's game, Denmark lead Group 2 with 6 points, Croatia was in second with 5 points, and Argentina in third with 4 points.

Argentina v. Croatia Recap 

Argentina scored the girl goal of the match for 1:0 in the first minute. Argentina made it 2:0 two minutes in - and 3:0 seconds later.

Croatia's shaky start was certainly attributed to nerves - and Argentina scored for 4:0 in the 4th minute. 

It was 5:0 for Argentina in the 5th minute. 

Argentina's keeper was solid in goal, denying Croatia's top players from scoring in the three minutes that followed. Cupic scored Croatia's first goal only in the 10th minute for 5:1. 

Cupic scored from 7-meters in the 14th minute to make it 6:2. Croatia was only down by 4 goals. Mandic made it 7:3 in the 15th. 

Cupic scored his third goal of the game from 7-meters in the 16th minute. Croatia reduced the score to -3 - 7:4. 

Karacic scored for 7:5 one minute later, and again for 7:6 in the 19th. 

Cupic scored again from 7-meters for 8:7 with nine minutes to go in the first half. Cupic was on fire, scoring his 5th goal of the match (5/5) for 10:8 - and again for 10:9 (6/6).

Croatia received another 7-meter throw in the 26th minute - Cupic scored his 7th goal of the game, and 4th from 7-meters, for 11:10. 

Sebetic scored for 12:11 with two minutes to go - and again for 12:12 in the last minute of the first half, which was the result at halftime. 

Croatia took the lead for the first time in the match in the 31st minute, but Argentina quickly equalized for 13:13.

Mamic scored for 15:14 in the 34th minute, and Croatia was behind by one goal again. Mamic scored yet again for 16:15 in the 36th.

In the 48th minute, Argentina was up by 3 goals - 18:15.  

Duvnjak scored for 19:16 in the 51st minute. Sebetic scored for 20:17 in the 53rd, but Argentina quickly reacted for 21:17.

Jaganjac scored for -4 with two minutes to go - 22:18. Mandic scored from 7-meters for 22:19 with 40 seconds to go. Argentina scored the final goal of the game for 23:19. 

Croatia and Denmark meet next on Monday. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

January 22, 2021 - Croatia must defeat Argentina on Saturday evening if they want to secure a spot in the World Handball Championship quarterfinals. 

The Denmark national team defeated Qatar 32:23 in the first match of the main round of the World Championship in Egypt. The winner was known after the first half.

Denmark went into halftime with a five-goal advantage (17:12), and the key was the 11:6 series with which Denmark outplayed Qatar from the 15th to the 30th minute.

In the second half, Denmark reached the biggest advantage of +10 (23:13), mostly thanks to Denmark's 5:0 series from the 34th to the 38th minute. By the end, Qatar managed to reduce the score to -9. Among the winners, PSG player Mikkel Hansen was the best with six goals, while Qatar was led by Cuban shooter Frankis Marzo with ten goals. The goalkeepers did not excel, but seven defenses by Niklas Landin can be singled out.

In the next round on Saturday, Denmark will play against Japan and Qatar against Bahrain. From 6 pm, Croatia will play against Argentina in the same group, and a victory would ensure Croatia's spot in the quarterfinals. Lino Cervar's team would then have seven points, three more than Argentina and Qatar (if Qatar defeats Bahrain).

In the last round on Monday, Croatia will play against Denmark for first place and a more favorable draw in the quarterfinals, where possible opponents are Sweden, Egypt, and Slovenia, the top three teams in the group with which Croatia overlaps. 

Recall, Croatia topped Bahrain (28:18) in the first match of the main round (28:18) on Thursday evening. Marin Sego was named the player of the match. 

"We made a few mistakes at the back at times," said Cervar after the victory. "I trust my players. I am totally happy with the win. The match against Argentina will be a big one; we have to focus because they have done really well so far."

"I think we did well and were able to win. We have a big match coming up against Argentina, and it's our way into the next round, and then we have world champions Denmark. We are fully focused on Argentina, though," added Zlatko Horvat. 

Source: Index.hr

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

January 21, 2021 - Croatia tops Bahrain (28:18) in the first match of the 2021 World Handball Championship main round. 

Croatia met Bahrain in the first match of the main round of the 2021 World Handball Championship in Egypt. 

Croatia entered this match as a big favorite in the fight for the quarterfinals of the tournament. Recall, Croatia transferred three points to the second round (main round) and is in second place behind Denmark, which transferred a maximum of four. Bahrain did not transfer any points because they lost to Denmark (34:20) and Argentina (24:21). They advanced thanks to a 34:27 victory over DR Congo. In the group stage, Croatia drew with Japan (29:29) and beat Angola (28:20) and Qatar (26:24).

Croatia v. Bahrain Recap

Strlek scored the first goal of the match to give Croatia the 1:0 lead in the first minute. Mamic scored for 2:0 just under 3 minutes in.

Maric scored for 3:0 in the 4th minute. Sego kept Croatia's goal clean in the first five minutes of play.

Horvat scored a 7-meter throw for 4:1 in the 6th minute. Duvnjak made it 5:1 in the 8th minute. Sebetic increased Croatia's lead even more - 6:1 in the 9th minute. 

Cupic scored from 7-meters in the 10th minute (7:1). Mamic scored for 8:2 in the 14th. 

Maric scored his second goal of the game in the 15th minute (9:2). Horvat scored with a lob for 10:3 in the 21st minute.

Maric scored his third goal of the game for 11:4 two minutes later. Mandic scored for 12:6 in the 25th. 

With two minutes to go in the first half, Horvat made it 13:6. Croatia went into halftime up by 5 goals - 13:8.

Horvat's famous lob made it into the gal to open the second half.

Croatia was up by six goals in the 35th minute - 16:10. Cupic scored for 17:11 two minutes later.

Maric scored his fourth goal of the game in the 39th minute for 18:12. Jaganjac scored for +7 - 19:12.

Martinovic scored an upper-corner rocket in the 42nd for 20:13 - and again for 21:14.

Yet another lob by Horvat made its way into the goal for 22:14 with just over 10 minutes to go. And Horvat's fourth lob made it 23:17 in the 53rd.

Martinovic scored moments later to make it 24:17. 

Mandic scored in an empty goal with five minutes to go (25:18). Horvat scored in another empty goal seconds later for 26:18 - Croatia's biggest advantage of the game.

Mandic scored with a minute and a half to go for 27:18. Croatia ended the game +10 thanks to a goal in the final seconds (28:18). Marin Sego was named the player of the match!

After Bahrain, Croatia will play against Argentina (Saturday) and Denmark (Monday). The best two teams will place among the top eight.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

January 19, 2021 - In the final match of Group C, Croatia defeats Qatar (26:24) and takes first place in Group C!

Croatia and Qatar met in the last game of Group C at the World Handball Championship in Egypt. Croatia and Qatar had played only one official match before tonight's duel, and Qatar celebrated sensationally with seven points at the opening of the Olympic Games four years ago.

Both national teams had already secured a spot in the next round.

Croatia v. Qatar Recap

Mamic scored the first goal of the game for 1:0 Croatia. Pesic made a great save to keep Croatia ahead after Qatar's first attack. 

Duvnjak scored for 2:0 just under 3 minutes into the game. Qatar scored their first goal seconds later - 2:1.

Maric made it 3:1 for Croatia in the 6th minute, and again in the 8th minute for 4:2.

Strlek scored for 5:3 in the 9th minute and again for 6:3 in the 11th. 

Strlek scored his third goal to make it 7:5 three minutes later. 

Mamic scored his second goal of the game for 8:6 in the 15th. 34-year-old Cupic scored for 9:7 in the 16th. 

Qatar scored their second 7-meter throw for 9:8. Croatia's star goalkeeper Marin Sego made his debut at the 2021 World Champs in the 19th minute. Recall, Sego was recovering from an injury and missed Croatia's first two matches against Japan and Angola. 

Qatar received their third 7-meter throw in the 21st minute, which Sego brilliantly saved to keep the game 9:8.

Mamic put Croatia back to +2 for 10:8 in the 21st.

Croatia certainly welcomed Sego's return, as he saved yet another 7-meter throw for Qatar in the 22nd minute! 

Martinovic scored for 11:10 with four minutes to go in the first half. Qatar equalized for 11:11 seconds later. 

Sego remained stellar in goal, saving yet another 7-meter throw in the 28th minute! Mamic put Croatia back in the lead at 12:11 with less than two minutes to go.

Martinovic scored with 3 seconds to go for 13:11 at the half. 

Qatar opened the second half with a goal for 13:12 in the 30th minute. Croatia received a 7-meter throw in the 31st minute - Cupic scored for 14:12. 

Maric increased Croatia's lead to +3 - their biggest lead of the game yet. It was 15:12 in the 34th minute. 

Musa scored for 16:14 in the 36th minute. 

A fake by Mamic resulted in yet another goal for the 26-year-old - 17:14 for Croatia.

Croatia's oldest player at the World Champs, Zlatko Horvat, scored his first goal of the game for 18:15. Maric scored for +3 in the 42nd minute - 19:16. Horvat scored a crucial lob for Croatia three minutes later - 20:18. 

Martinovic found the back of the net for 21:19 in the 47th minute. Strlek scored for 22:19 with 12 minutes to go. 

The flawless Marin Sego saved 4/4 7-meter throws to keep Croatia ahead. Maric brought Croatia back to +3 with 10 minutes left. Strlek scored again for 24:22 with seven minutes to go. 

Horvat made it 25:23 in the 54th minute. Strlek scored on an empty goal with five minutes to go for 26:23! 

Cervar called a timeout with two minutes to go. 

Croatia was given a 7-meter throw with less than 30 seconds to go -  Strlek missed to keep the game 26:23. 

The game ended 26:24 for Croatia! Maric was named the player of the match. 

Unfortunately, Japan defeated Angola (30:29) in the earlier Group C game and transferred the point won against Croatia to the second round. This means that Croatia could not transfer all four points to the continuation of the competition, even by beating Qatar. Croatia thus carries three points to the second round, Qatar two points thanks to the victory against Japan, and Japan one point. 

It is already known that Argentina and Denmark from Group D await Croatia and Qatar in the main round, while the third rival will be known after the match between Bahrain and Congo. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

January 17, 2021 - Croatia tops Angola in the second match of Group C at the World Handball Championship in Egypt. 

The Croatia handball team met Angola in the 2nd match of Group C in Borg El Arab, Egypt. 

Croatia had a more than shaky start against Japan in the first match on Friday, collecting just one point from a 29:29 draw a few seconds before the end. If Croatia wants to be a realistic prospect for a medal, they can no longer make a mistake in the group stage to ensure they can transfer enough points to the second round.

Before the match against Angola, it was announced that Lino Cervar could no longer count on Luka Cindric, whose injury only worsened after playing against Japan. One of the best Croatian players left the national team camp for Barcelona where he will receive treatment. Cervar called up Janko Kevic in his place. 

Before Sunday, Croatia had never played Angola, which lost to Qatar 30:25 in the first match of the tournament. 

Angola v. Croatia Recap

Angola opened the game with a goal in the first attack for 1:0. Horvat equalized for Croatia from 7-meters - 1:1. Horvat missed Croatia's next chance 7-meter shot in the 4th minute.

Strlek scored for 2:2 in the 5th minute. Croatia took the lead in the 6th minute for the first time at 3:2. 

Angola was leading by 2 goals in the 14th minute (5:4), but Mamic came back for Croatia with a goal in the 15th (5:4). 

Cupic scored from 7 meters, closing Angola's lead to one goal in the 18th minute (6:5).

A very quick turnaround with two goals in the 19th minute gave Croatia the lead - 6:7. 

Mamic scored for Croatia's very first +2 lead in the 21st minute - 6:8. 

It was 9:9 with four minutes to go in the first half - and 10:10 with three to go. 

The first half ended with Croatia up by one goal - 11:12. 

Brozovic scored for Croatia to open the first half and keep Croatia up by one - 12:13.

Cupic scored from 7 meters to put Croatia up by two in the 33rd minute - 12:14.

Croatia was up three goals for the first time of the match in the 38th minute, and up by four one minute later - 13:17.

Cupic scored from 7 meters to give Croatia the biggest lead yet - 13:18 in the 40th minute.  

Maric scored for 15:19 Croatia in the 43rd minute, and Mamic scored for 16:20 in the 44th! 

Cupic scored his 6th goal of the match in the 46th minute for 16:21 Croatia. 

Martinovic scored two minutes later for 16:22 - Croatia's biggest lead yet. Martinovic scored from 7 meters moments later to increase Croatia's lead yet again - 16:23. 

Thanks to another Martinovic goal, it was 17:24, and Jaganjac scored for 17:25 with five minutes to go. 

In the final minute, Croatia was up by 7 goals - 20:27. Mandic scored the final goal of the match for a final score of 20:28 for Croatia!  

Croatia's goalkeeper Pesic was named the player of the match. 

Recall, three teams from the group advance to the second round. Croatia's Group C intersects with group D, which includes Denmark, Argentina, Congo, and Bahrain.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

January 17, 2021 - Key Croatia national handball team player and FC Barcelona Lassa member Luka Cindric has dropped out of the World Championship in Egypt due to injury.

Before the match against Japan (29:29), it was announced that Cindric could miss the match due to a minor injury he suffered playing with Barcelona, but ultimately played.

Cindric played 42 minutes against Japan
Recall, Cindric spent 42 minutes on the court and scored four goals from 10 attempts against Japan. In addition, he had four assists and lost two balls.

"Cindric felt less pain and is suffering from an old injury. We will see how he feels, maybe everything will be fine, and he will play today. We will not take risks if it is not necessary," said assistant coach Hrvoje Horvat ahead of the game.

RTL commentators Goran Sprem and Petar Metlicic agreed with him, but Cindric obviously felt good enough to play.

Cindric also had injuries in the last two national team competitions
For coach Lino Cervar, there is now no other alternative in the center back position except Janko Kević from Nexe. Igor Karačić is also in Egypt, but he is recovering from inflammation of the pubis symphysis (groin area) and should be ready for the second round of the competition.

In the last two competitions, the 2020 European Championship and the 2019 World Championship, Cindric had major problems with injuries and could not adequately help the national team. Maybe that's why he had a great desire to play against Japan.

In the second match of Group C, Croatia will play against Angola on Sunday at 6 pm, and on January 19 against Qatar in the last match of the group stage.

Source: Index.hr

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

January 15, 2021 - Croatia and Japan draw in the first round of Group C at the World Championship in Egypt. 

After the tournament host Egypt and Chile opened the 2021 World Handball Championship on Wednesday, and a day later seven more first-round matches were played, the Croatia handball team met Japan to begin their Group C campaign at the World Championship in Egypt. 

On Thursday, coach Lino Červar wrote off four players for the first round of the competition, thus cutting the player list to 16 names to begin Croatia's journey at the World Champs.

Croatia is the favorite of Group C, which also includes Angola and Qatar.

Croatia v. Japan Recap

Strlek put Croatia in the lead in the first minute for 1:0, though Japan equalized moments later from a 7-meter shot for 1:1. Japan took the lead in the 3rd minute for 1:2.

Strlek scored the equalizer for 2:2 in the 5th minute. Japan scored for 2:3 in the 6th, and 2:4 in the 7th. Japan was up by 3 goals in the 10th minute, up by 4 in the 11th, and up by 5 just moments later.

Martinovic gave Croatia life again in the 12th minute for 3:7 and again for 4:7 in the 14th. 

Mamic scored for 5:8 in the 15th and Maric for 6:9 in the 16th.

Japan was up by 5 goals in the 19th minute - 7:12. 

Horvat scored for 8:12 in the 20th minute. 

Japan had its biggest lead in the 22nd minute - 8:14. Martinovic scored for 9:14 moments later. 

Japan took advantage of Croatia's shaky defense and scored in almost every attack. Croatia missed many certain goals, which came back to haunt them. 

Horvat scored for 11:16 in the 25th minute. 

With one minute to go in the first half, Cindric scored for 14:17, which was the result going into halftime. 

Maric scored for Croatia to open the second half and bring them only two goals behind - 15:17 in the 31st minute. Cindric scored for 16:18 in the 33rd minute. Cupic made it 17:19 in the 37th.

Japan was up by four goals in the 39th minute. 

Maric scored for 18:21 in the 40th minute. Horvat scored for 19:22 in the 42nd. 

Duvnjak finally scored for 20:22 in the 43rd minute and again for 21:22 in the 45th. Cindric scored for 22:23.

Croatia finally equalized in the 48th minute thanks to a Brozovic goal for 23:23! It took them nearly all game.

Duvnjak made it 24:24 with 10 minutes to go and Maric scored yet again for 25:25! 

Cindric scored for 26:26 with 7 minutes to go and 25:25 with 5 minutes to go.

Cupic scored from 7-meters with 3 minutes to go - 28:28.

Cupic scored for 29:29, which was the final result of the game.  

The three best teams from each group will advance and transfer points to the next round. 

In the second round, there will be four groups with six national teams each, and the two best will advance to the quarterfinals, from which they will play by knockout until the end of the competition. 

Group C intersects with Group D, which includes Denmark, Argentina, Bahrain, and DR Congo.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.