January 2, 2019 -  After reviewing 2019 in Croatian sport, a look at the year ahead.

A remarkable year in Croatian sport lies ahead. It is the year of the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, and the Euros in handball, water polo, and football - but that doesn’t even scratch the surface. 

A closer look at 2020 in Croatian sport. 

The first weekend of 2020 will kick off with the always exciting ski spectacle on Sljeme in Zagreb - the Audi FIS Ski World Cup “Snow Queen Trophy” 2020. Namely, on Saturday, January 4, the women's slalom will feature in the program, while a day later, the men will take the stage. Croatian skiers will compete in both of these races.

Leona Popovic is the biggest expectation in the women's competition after she won the first slalom points in her career in Lienz, Austria, not even one week ago. However, Croatia has a respectable team of skiers, as evidenced by the fact that three Croatian representatives have finished with points twice this season, which many nations cannot boast.

The first-ever ATP Cup will take place across Australia in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney from January 3 to 12. The Croatia national team will play in Sydney against Argentina and Poland. Borna Coric, Marin Cilic and Viktor Galovic will represent Croatia. Croatia’s tennis players will continue their stay in Australia for the Australian Open in Melbourne from January 14 to 27. 

Croatia handball is next to steal the show, as from January 9 to 26, the European Championships are held. For the first time in history, the Euros will be played in three countries (Austria, Norway, Sweden) with 24 national teams. The ‘Cowboys' are placed in Group A in Graz, where their opponents will be Montenegro (January 9), Belarus (January 11) and Serbia (January 13). The two best teams move to the second round to be played in Vienna, and from that newly formed group (which will likely include Spain and Germany), the two top-ranked teams go to the semifinals.

Nearly running parallel to the Handball Euros is the European Water Polo Championship, which will be played in Budapest. This competition begins on January 14 and ends on January 26, with the ‘Barakudas’ in Group A against Germany (January 14), Montenegro (January 16) and Slovakia (January 18). The winner of the group goes directly to the quarterfinals, and the second and third go to the playoffs against Group C, hosted by Hungary, Spain, Turkey and Malta.

The second half of the Croatian First League returns earlier than ever, on January 31, with the match between Inter Zapresic and Istra 1961. The other games of the 20th round will be played in February.

Croatian football will be in focus in the first half of February, because in addition to the Championship, the Croatian Cup will continue, where Rijeka and Dinamo are scheduled in the quarterfinals on February 5. On February 12, the semifinals will be played with the winner of Rijeka - Dinamo against the host Osijek, while the other semifinal features Slaven Belupo and Lokomotiva. 

The Champions League knockout phase continues on February 18, followed by the Europa League two days later.

Croatia basketball will begin qualifications for EuroBasket 2021 in February. Coach Veljko Mrsic will again not be able to count on NBA players or those who play in the Euroleague. Croatia welcomes Sweden on February 21 and visits the Netherlands three days later. Turkey is also in Croatia's group, and three national teams will qualify for EuroBasket. 

The Croatia football team returns in March for two friendly games as part of their Euro preparations. The dates, as well as the opponents, are still unknown. On January 31, we will find out Croatia’s remaining rival in the Euros alongside England and the Czech Republic. The Nations League C Playoffs will be played that day, and the winner will play in Glasgow against Croatia in the third round of Group D on June 23. It will either be Scotland, Israel, Norway or Serbia.

April may be crucial for the Croatia handball team. Should the Cowboys fail to qualify for the Olympic Games in January at the Euros, their next exam will be held from April 17 to 19 when the Olympic Qualifying Tournament will be played.

In May, the focus returns to football thanks to the Croatian Championship and Cup, with an emphasis on the Cup final on May 13 at Subicevac, followed by the last round of the Croatian First League, which will be played on May 17.

The second Grand Slam tournament of the season, Roland Garros, begins Sunday, May 24.

In June, we move our attention to the Euros in football, which begins with the Turkey-Italy match on June 12. Zlatko Dalic's side will play two friendly games, one in Osijek on June 1 or 2, and one away in France, as a rematch of the World Cup final and general prep for the Euro competition. At the Euros, Croatia will play against England at Wembley on June 14, while the second and third Group D matches will be played in Glasgow: on June 19 against the Czech Republic and June 23 against the Nations League C winner.

At the same time Croatia is expected to get out of their Euro group, the Croatia basketball team will play in the final Olympic Qualifying Tournament at the Spaladium Arena in Split. Brazil, lead by coach Aco Petrovic, Tunisia, Germany, Russia and Mexico will participate in the qualifying tournament. Only the best of these teams will go to Tokyo.

Days later, tennis fans can rejoice with the return of the most prestigious tournament in the world, Wimbledon, on June 29.

On Friday, July 24, the new season of the Croatian First League and the Olympic Games begin in Tokyo. The biggest sports celebration will last until Sunday, August 9.  Croatian athletes are looking to repeat the medal harvest from 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, where they took home ten medals, five of which were gold.

In August, Croatian football clubs will fight to qualify for the group stage in one of the UEFA competitions. Namely, in the summer of 2020, five Croatian clubs will compete in the Champions League and Europa League qualifiers.

A new edition of the Nations League will follow in early September. The Croatia national team will once against compete in the highest rank.

Shortly after that, the Champions League and Europa League seasons will kick-off for the last time in the format as we know it. Recall, from 2021, there will be 32 instead of 48 clubs so far. At the same time, the last Grand Slam of the season, the US Open, will begin.

This is merely a fraction of what's on in Croatian sport this year. Follow TCN to find out more.

Source: Gol.hr

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

December 23, 2019 - How did this year compare to Croatia’s most successful year in sport? A look at Croatian sport in 2019. 

It seemed as though nothing could quite compare to 2018. It was the year Croatian football became World Cup finalists. The year Croatia brought home the Davis Cup trophy and thus gained sweet revenge on France. A year so successful, we’d never seen anything like it in Croatian history. 

As 2019 began, I was hardly optimistic.

“How could we be so lucky again?”

Fortunately, the year was full of pleasant surprises. It was a year that saw our young talents thrive. A year that saw countless triumphs in both individual and team sports. It was another epic year in Croatian sport.

Here is our  2019 year in review. 

Croatia Handball: 2019 began with the Men’s Handball World Championship, which featured Croatia in Group B. After four impressive wins against Iceland, Japan, Macedonia, and Bahrain, Croatia met Spain to decide the winner of the group. After topping Spain 23:19, Croatia went on to win Group B and continued to the main round of the tournament. Croatia was not so lucky there, losing to Brazil 29:26 and Germany 21:22, which ultimately took them out of the fight for the medal. A win against France for the final game of the main round restored their morale, though a loss to Sweden, in the end, saw Croatia finish the tournament as the 6th best team in the world. Croatia will play in the European Championships next month against Montenegro, Belarus and Serbia in Graz. 

Franko Grgic: Promising Croatian swimmer, 16-year-old Franko Grgic, won two gold swimming medals in the 800-meter and 1500-meter races at this year's World Junior Championships, and was even selected among the five finalists for the Piotr Nurowski Award, which as awarded by the European Olympic Committees (EOC) for the ninth time. Though he didn’t win the award in the end, he made sure he was on everyone’s swimming radar. The PK Jadran Split swimmer had an outstanding August, celebrating two gold medals and achieving new records at the 7th FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Budapest. After winning the gold in the 800-meter-freestyle while breaking a Croatian record, the 16-year-old swimming sensation became the world champion in the 1500-meter-freestyle and achieved a new world junior record with a time of 14:46.09 minutes. Grgic swam 10.46 seconds faster in Budapest than his best-ever record in the 1500 meters, which was also Croatia's national record. Franko’s previous career-fastest in the 800-meter free was achieved in Zagreb in March, where he swam 7:53.75. In Budapest, however, Grgic was 8 seconds faster, thus breaking the Croatian record held by Marin Mogic (7:51:78). Grgic was thus named the 25th fastest performer of all-time, any age, in this 800-meter freestyle. At the beginning of the year, Grgic won the gold in the 400-meter and 1500 meter at the EYOF in Baku, and also hit the Olympic standard for Tokyo 2020. We can’t wait to see him in Tokyo next summer.

Croatia Basketball: It wasn’t the greatest year for Croatia basketball, which failed to qualify for the World Cup in China back in August. However, with new coach Veljko Mrsic on the bench, Croatia still has a chance to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. The light at the end of the tunnel to 2019 was the welcoming news that Split would be host to the 2020 Olympic Qualifying tournament next June, where Croatia will face Tunisia and Brazil, and crossover with Germany or Russia. It will be the strongest tournament played on Croatian ground since EuroBasket 1989 in Zagreb. But not all was bleak. In the NBA, Croatia captain Bojan Bogdanovic saw a stellar transfer to the Utah Jazz this summer, where he’s been playing the basketball of his career. Ivica Zubac is still a hit at the LA Clippers and Dario Saric is finding his footing better at the Phoenix Suns. Croatia also boasts a record seven players in the NBA this season. To end on a high, two legendary Croatian basketball players Toni Kukoc and Giuseppe ‘Pino’ Giergia have been listed among the 50 candidates nominated for the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Illinois. 

Dina Levacic: Another year, another swimming success for Dina Levacic! In 7 hours, 13 minutes and 15 seconds, 23-year-old Solin native Dina Levacic completed the Tsugaru Strait to complete the fourth open water channel swim out of the seven in the 'Oceans Seven' challenge. The channel is located between Japan's largest island, Honshu and Hokkaido, and high waves and strong frontal wind accompanied the Croatian swimmer the entire way. The member of the Split Swimming Club set one of her best times and became only the 67th person to complete the Tsugaru Strait.

The ‘Ocean Seven’ is a series of seven international swimming marathons, modeled after the Seven Summits mountaineering challenge. Dina Levačić had already swum three marathon channels from the ‘Ocean Seven’ series before attempting the Tsugaru: Catalina Channel, English Channel (La Manche) and Moloka’i Channel. After the Tsugaru Strait in Japan, Dina will still need to overcome the North Channel between Northern Ireland and Scotland, the Strait of Gibraltar between Europe and Africa and the Cook Strait in New Zealand.

Croatia Football: On the heels of the greatest sporting success in Croatian history, the Croatia football team did not disappoint this year. Croatia’s Euro 2020 qualifiers kicked off back in March against Azerbaijan, where they won 2:1 at home. A shocking loss to Hungary stirred the pot, though wins against Wales and Slovakia put Croatia back on their feet. Draws to Wales and Azerbaijan complicated Croatia’s road to the Euros only slightly, as big wins against Hungary and Slovakia in the return games sealed the deal. Croatia not only qualified for the Euros next summer, but they finished at the top of their qualifying group. 2019 was also a pivotal year for Croatian football, as it will be remembered as the year the national team returned to Poljud stadium in Split for the first time since 2015. Croatia played to a sold-out stadium and coach Zlatko Dalic called it the best atmosphere they’d experienced. The Euros await Croatia next year, where they will face England, the Czech Republic, and the winner of the Nations League C (Norway/Serbia v Scotland/Israel). 

Dinamo Zagreb: It was another successful year for Dinamo Zagreb, who clinched the Croatian Championship title for the 20th time back in April after defeating Slaven Belupo. Dinamo secured the title six rounds before the end of the season and 23 points ahead of Rijeka in second. While Rijeka went on to win the Croatian Cup, Dinamo went on to have an impressive Champions League campaign. After soaring through the Champions League qualifiers and playoff round, Dinamo advanced to the Group Stage against Manchester City, Atalanta, and Shakhtar Donetsk. Dinamo opened their seventh Champions League appearance against Atalanta at Maksimir stadium with a shocking 4:0 victory. They fell to City both times, drew to Shakhtar twice, and couldn’t do itagainst Atalanta the second time around. The Zagreb club finished last in their group and will not continue their European run in the spring. 

Croatia Water Polo: It was a busy year for the Croatia water polo team, which began with the Europa Cup in Zagreb, where Croatia failed to defend the title after losing to Hungary in the final. From the Europa Cup to the World League Super Final in Serbia, Croatia went on to defeat Kazakhstan, Australia, Japan, and Spain for a spot in the final against Serbia, where they lost by one goal. The summer continued with the World Championships, where Croatia was again better than Australia,  the USA, and Kazakhstan. They defeated Germany in the quarterfinal but lost to Spain in the semis to miss their chance in the final. Croatia did, however, beat Hungary for third place. Croatia will compete in the Euros next month, where they will have to finish at the top to secure their spot in the Tokyo Olympics next summer. Croatia water polo ended the year with yet another impressive recognition as two team members are among the top seven in the world - Maro Jokovic and Josip Vrlic.

Croatia Tennis: Unlike last year, where Croatia took home the Davis Cup title, this year saw a Croatia squad plagued with injuries and a new coach just days before the tournament was to begin. Croatia didn’t make it out of their group this time around after falling to Russia and Spain, but they can be proud of their individual achievements. Osijek native Donna Vekic made it to the Nottingham final where she lost to Caroline Garcia.  She even advanced to the round of 16 at the Cincinnati Masters, Roland Garros, and the US Open. Petra Martic defeated 19-year-old Czech player Markéta Vondroušová to get her first WTA title at the Istanbul Cup.  Martic also secured the fourth WTA final of her career at the Zhengzhou Open, where she lost to Karolina Pliskova, and also faced Serena Williams in the US Open round of 16. Both Petra and Donna played in the WTA Elite Trophy tournament, which brings together female tennis players ranked 9th to 19th on the WTA ladder. Borna Coric made it to the semifinal of the Dubai Open, Rosmalen, and St. Petersburg, where he ultimately went on to the final. Marin Cilic’s first semifinal in fourteen months wasn’t until the Kremlin Cup back in October. The real star of Croatian tennis this year is Ivan Dodig, who won two ATP doubles titles with Filip Polasek, at the China Open and the Cincinnati Masters. Dodig also won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title with Latisha Chan and defended their Roland Garros title just weeks before. 

Sandra Perkovic: Sandra Perkovic failed to defend the world championship title in the discus throw this year, which she won two years ago in London, but still secured a medal at the World Championships in Doha. Namely, Perkovic won the bronze medal after throwing 66.72 meters in the first series of the finals, while Cubans Yaime Perez and Denia Caballero were the gold and silver medalists. This was Sandra’s fourth medal at the World Championships. Sandra became the world champion in Moscow in 2013 and London in 2017 and won the silver in Beijing in 2015. In addition to four world championship medals, Perkovic is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time European champion.

Croatia Gymnastics: It was another big year for Tin Srbic, who won the silver medal at the European Championships in Szczecin in the horizontal bar event. The Croatian gymnast went on to win the gold medal with an impressively high score of 14.900 points at the World Cup in Paris, and ended the year with a silver medal at the World Championships in Stuttgart. He was also named the best Croatian male athlete by the Croatian Olympic Committee. 

Croatia’s best female gymnast Ana Đerek won the gold medal at the World Cup competition in Osijek after a brilliant floor performance, and Robert Seligman advanced to the Cottbus World Cup finals in the pommel horse. 

Sinkovic Brothers: The dynamic duo did it again! The year began with a second-place medal in the coxless pairs at the World Cup in Plovdiv, though it only went up from there. Martin and Valent Sinkovic defended their world rowing championship title in the coxless pairs in Linz-Ottensheim, Austria, qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, and ended the year as the best rowing team in the world, declared by the FISA World Rowing Organization!

Snjezana Pejcic: Croatia's best female shooter Snjezana Pejcic and her Indian teammate Divyansh Singh Panwar won the mixed team air rifle competition to wrap up the World Cup final in Putian, China. Pejcic has already qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which will be her fourth appearance at the Olympic Games. 

Croatia Taekwondo: The Croatia national team finished their appearance at the European Senior Championships with three medals - silver medals for Lovro Brecic and Toni Kanaet and a bronze for Matea Jelic. 

Dino Sinovcic: Croatian Paralympian Dino Sinovcic won the 100m backstroke gold medal in the S6 category at the WPS World Paralympic Championships in London. Sinovic won at the Queen Elizabeth Aquatic Center with a time of 1:15.46, ahead of the Chinese swimmer Hong Yang who swam a time of 1:15.47 for the silver, and Argentine Matias De Andrade, who swam a time of 1:16.91 for the bronze. 

Stipe Miocic: The 36-year-old Croatian-American Stipe Miocic defeated 40-year-old American Daniel Cormier by a knockout in the fourth round of the UFC 241 fight held in Anaheim, California. Stipe thus won sweet revenge on Cormier and brought back the UFC Heavyweight Champion title to Ohio after he lost it to Cormier in Las Vegas 13 months before. The fight between Miocic and Cormier lasted more than 19 minutes, in which the title defender had more significant blows (123-98). 

Croatia Karate: The karate gold and silver came to Croatia thanks to the brilliant Kvesic brothers from Karate club Hercegovina-Zagreb. At this year's European Games in Minsk, Ivan Kvesic won the gold medal while his brother Anđelo Kvesic secured the silver. Croatian representatives returned home with eight medals from the European Games in Minsk - two gold, one silver and five bronze.

To read more about Croatian sport, follow TCN's dedicated page.  

December 6, 2019 - Croatia handball coach Lino Cervar has announced a list of 28 players who have been officially reported to the European Handball Federation for the 2020 European Championship, hosted by Austria, Norway and Sweden. 

HRT reports that on the road to Graz, where Croatia plays the first round of competition against Montenegro, Belarus and Serbia, the Croatia coach will lead 16 players from this list. Everyone else will be waiting for their chance if someone gets injured or sick during the tournament and can be used at any time.

The first phase of preparations for the European Championship begins on December 17 with a gathering in Zagreb. This is where the players will stay and train until December 23. The lineup for this reunion will be announced at the beginning of the week when the National League matches are over, that is, when we can see the condition of the players and if there are any injuries.

After a short break, the team will reunite on December 26 from December 30. This part of the preparations will be held in Porec.

The final gathering is on New Year's Day itself when the third and final phase of preparations for EURO 2020 begins. Players from the German Bundesliga will join the team in Porec then. As part of the preparations, the Croatian Cup will be held, with Bosnia and Qatar in addition to Croatia.

The preparations in Porec will end on January 7, 2020, followed by a return to Zagreb, from which the team will travel to Graz the next day.

The confirmed players are as follows:

1. ŠEGO MARIN, MONTPELLIER HB

2. AŠANIN MATEJ, HC PPD ZAGREB

3. ŠUNJIĆ MATE, US IVRY HANDBALL

4. CAR MORENO, HC NEXE

5. HORVAT ZLATKO, HC PPD ZAGREB

6. MATANOVIĆ VLADO, HC GORENJE VELENJE

7. VIDA IVAN, HC NEXE

8. MILETA FRAN, HC NEXE

9. MIHIĆ LOVRO, ORLEN WISLA PLOCK

10. MANDIĆ DAVID, HC PPD ZAGREB

11. RAVNIĆ VALENTINO, HC PPD ZAGREB

12. JELINIĆ MARIN, HC NEXE

13. MUSA ŽELJKO, SC MAGDEBURG

14. MARIĆ MARINO, MT MELSUNGEN

15. ŠIPIĆ MARIN, HC PPD ZAGREB

16. BROZOVIĆ ILIJA, HC HANNOVER – BURGDORF

17. DUVNJAK DOMAGOJ, THW KIEL

18. MAMIĆ MARKO, HC LEIPZIG

19. ŠARAC JOSIP, HC CELJE PIVOVARNA LAŠKO

20. HRSTIĆ MATEJ, RK PPD ZAGREB

21. KUDUZ ANTE, DINAMO BUCURESTI

22. GADŽA ANTE, RK PPD ZAGREB

23. CINDRIĆ LUKA, BARCA

24. KARAČIĆ IGOR, PGE VIVE KIELCE

25. STEPANČIĆ LUKA, MOL-PICK SZEGED

26. ŠEBETIĆ LUKA, TREMBLAY EN FRANCE HANDBALL

27. MARTINOVIĆ IVAN, HC HANNOVER – BURGDORF

28. VEKIĆ JOSIP, RK PPD ZAGREB

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

November 6, 2019 - The International Handball Federation has decided on the hosts for the Olympic Handball Qualifiers... and Croatia could be one of them. 

Gol.hr reports that before the European Championships, which will be played in Austria, Norway, and Sweden from January 9 to 26, 2020, the International Handball Federation (IHF) has designated the hosts of the qualifying tournaments for the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year. 

The tournaments will be played in the spring of next year, from April 17-19, and each of the two best teams will compete in the Tokyo Olympics.

France, Germany, and Norway were selected as hosts, while Croatia was named as the reserve country. 

So, what exactly does this mean?

A total of 12 teams will compete in the Tokyo Olympics, four of which are already known: Japan automatically qualifies as the host, Denmark as world champion, Argentina as the winner of the Pan-American Games and Bahrain as the winner of the Asian Qualifying Tournament.

There are eight more spots open, and one of them will be known at the end of the upcoming European Championships. Namely, the best national team at the Euros, not counting Denmark, who has already qualified, will also secure their spot in Tokyo.

Thus, if Denmark takes the gold, then the European Championship finalist will book the spot for the Olympics. This is why it could be important for Croatia.

Namely, if one of the three teams designated to host the qualifying tournaments (France, Germany, Norway) wins the European Championship title (or loses to Denmark in the final), then the qualifying tournament will not be played in that country but in Croatia, which will step in as the first reserve.

Croatia has already hosted this qualifying tournament once, and namely, back in 2012 when the Cowboys locked their spot for the London Olympics in Varazdin, defeating the national teams of Iceland, Japan, and Chile.

This time, the competition will undoubtedly be much stronger, and it could only help Croatia if they were to secure their spot for Tokyo at one of the Croatian halls, in an atmosphere that would be excellent.

However, the best-case scenario, of course, would be if Croatia were to skip this qualifying tournament all together… though they’d have to become the European champion first.

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

October 26, 2019 - After the friendly spectacle at Arena Zagreb earlier this week, the handball teams of Croatia and Germany met again, this time in Hanover.

On Saturday, the men’s and women’s teams of Croatia and Germany hit the court of a sold-out TUI Arena, where almost 10,000 spectators came to support their sides in a friendly rematch.

Unlike in Zagreb, the men’s teams played first, precisely at 2:30 pm on Saturday. But not unlike the duel in Zagreb, it was another close battle that saw Croatia lose 24:23. Recall, Croatia lost 25:26 in Zagreb.

Coach Lino Cervar made three changes to the team compared to the Zagreb game. Instead of Zlatko Horvat, Kristijan Beciri and Marin Jelinic, it was Fran Meta, Marin Maric, and Lovro Mihic to travel to Hanover.

Luka Stepancic led Croatia with five goals, while Uwe Gensheimer celebrated his 33rd birthday with six goals for Germany.

"I think we can be pleased with today's game; we missed a seven-meter shot when the time ran out. I think we have shown great strength compared to Zagreb, the defense was much better and we can be pleased with the performance here in front of 12,000 people. I don't think they outplayed us, and we deserved more than defeat. Although Matanovic missed in the end, I have to praise them as well as the younger players. I think we are on the right track, we mean well, we are doing well. We need to be calm so that there are no injuries, to correct our mistakes and make the players in the clubs better prepared,” said coach Lino Cervar after the game. 

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.

The women's teams played in the second event of the day, at 5:30 pm. While the Croatia and Germany drew at Arena Zagreb, in Hanover, it was Germany to win 32:23. 

The most efficient for Croatia was Ivana Dezic with nine goals, while Slavica Schuster and Stela Posavec scored three each. Antje Lauenroth and Alicia Stolle scored six for Germany. 

Moree soon...

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

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. 

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

October 11, 2019 - A joint press conference of the men and women’s Croatia handball coaches was held ahead of the meetings against Germany in Zagreb and Hanover.

HRT reports that the women’s handball team will play first at the Arena in Zagreb on October 23, starting at 5 pm, followed by the men’s team at 7:30 pm. Three days later, the teams will meet in Hanover -  the men’s team at 2:30 pm and the women's team at 5:30 pm. 

Lino Cervar is preparing for the European Championships in Austria, Norway, and Sweden, and Nenad Sostaric is expected to continue the qualifications for EURO 2020.

“It is a meeting with a very attractive opponent, and I do not doubt that there will be a lot of support at the Arena. We envisioned this for two purposes - as a controlled gathering, a test of physical and mental abilities, as an extremely difficult Olympic year awaits us. We need to have conversations, familiarize them with the goals. And secondly, we want to see where these players are against a strong rival, as they are constantly with or close to the national team,” Cervar said, explaining: 

“Some are brand new, and we need to expand our base. Those not listed are by no means written off. Part of them opted out due to club or family responsibilities, and some are injured.”

Sostaric pointed out that there were a lot of changes in the lineup compared to the last gathering.

“Some of the handball players are injured, some of them asked for rest. It is a good opportunity for us to see those who play the Croatian Handball League, are constantly part of the roster, but have played little. Germany is one of the best teams in the world. It will be a good check anyway,” Sostaric said.

Both teams will gather in Zagreb at the Panorama Hotel on Monday, October 21, at 1 pm.

Croatia handball team (men's):

1.    Marin Šego – Montpellier HC

2.    Matej Ašanin – PPD Zagreb

3.    Moreno Car – Nexe

4.    Zlatko Horvat – PPD Zagreb

5.    Fran Mileta – Nexe

6.    Vlado Matanović – Gorenje Velenje

7.    David Mandić – PPD Zagreb

8.    Lovro Mihić – Wisla Plock

9.    Marin Jelinić – Nexe

10.    Željko Musa – SC Magdeburg

11.    Marin Šipić – PPD Zagreb

12.    Marino Marić – MT Melsungen

13.    Kristijan Bećiri – PPD Zagreb

14.    Marko Mamić – Leipzig

15.    Domagoj Pavlović – MT Melsungen

16.    Domagoj Duvnjak – THW Kiel

17.    Josip Šarac – Celje pivovarna Laško

18.    Luka Cindrić – Barcelona

19.    Igor Karačić – PGE Vive Kielce

20.    Matej Hrstić – PPD Zagreb

21.    Luka Mrakovčić – PPD Zagreb

22.    Luka Stepančić – MOL Pick Szeged

23.    Ivan Martinović – Hannover – Burgdorf

24.    Nikola Jukić – Chartres

25.    Ivan Slišković – Göppingen

26.    Leon Šušnja – Wisla Plock

Croatia handball team (women’s):

1. Tea Pijević – Lokomotiva

2. Magdalena Ecimović – Podravka Vegeta

3. Lucija Bešen – Sesvete Agroproteinka

4. Paula Posavec – Lokomotiva

5. Korina Karlovčan – Podravka Vegeta

6. Tena Japundža – Lokomotiva

7. Ana Debelić – Podravka

8. Ines Domjan – Koka

9. Sara Šenvald – Lokomotiva

10. Marina Glavan – Lokomotiva

11. Dora Lacković – Osijek

12. Selena Milošević – Podravka

13. Stela Posavec – Lokomotiva

14. Dejana Milosavljević – Podravka

15. Dora Kalaus – Lokomotiva

16. Lea Franušić – Podravka

17. Kristina Prkačin – Lokomotiva

18. Katarina Mrazović – Koka

19. Lea Vukojević – Zrinski

Call ups:

1. Mara Budić – Dugo Selo

2. Andrea Šimara – Lokomotiva

3. Nataša Miočinović – Umag

4. Josipa Kašelj – Lokomotiva

5. Josipa Mamić – Bjelovar

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

The Under-21 Croatia handball team may have lost in the final of the Junior World Handball Championship, but the young squad brought a historical result to Croatia - the first World Championship medal in this age category.

On Sunday, Croatia lost to France in the final 28:23, though they did boast one victory France could not - the MVP of the competition, announced HVS on July 28, 2019.

Namely, Ivan Martinović was declared the best player of the Junior World Championship in Spain, and Fran Mileta made the tournament’s all-star team!

Presenting the 2019 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship All-star Team ???#Spain2019 #handtastic pic.twitter.com/CUSQOqxbWr

— IHF (@ihf_info) July 28, 2019

"Congratulations to France on a deserved victory. They were better. They had some problems in the group stage, but they got better as the tournament went on, as usual. Eventually, they brought in Elohim Prandi, who is the new player for the best team in the world, PSG. It only confirms how much they wanted this gold.

Congratulations to our boys, of course. They were great. There were some tears in the dressing room as they felt they could have done a little better. If it were not for Ivan Martinović, Filip Vistorop or Josip Šarac and the others, we would not have been in the final.

Thank you once again to the whole staff that has worked so intensely for these 40 days to come to this end. This is trainer Dinko Đanković, goalkeeper coach Marko Markiš, who scouted our opponents from Germany and assisted the goalkeepers. And Danijel Brajković, Željko Kercel, and Zdravko Mirilović.

We can be proud because we have the MVP of the World Championship, Ivan Martinović, and right-winger Fran Mileta who made the all-star team of the championship, and he was born in 2000! Our ultimate goal is that from this generation, 5 or 6 of them will play for the A-team.

Ivan Martinović, the tournament’s MVP,  also had a few things to say: 

"I'm so happy with how we played. Many of us were eliminated after the sixth place last year in Slovenia at the Euros. But we knew we were worth it. At every moment, in each game, we gave our best. We used our strengths to their final limits and maybe that even partially decided the final. As for the MVP, I would turn it in for a gold medal without even thinking. In any case, thanks to the teammates who helped me with this feat.”

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

The Under-21 Croatia handball team is in the final of the Men's Junior World Handball Championship! 

In Pontevedra, Spain on Saturday, Croatia topped Portugal 31:28 (12:9) and advanced to their first-ever final against France, to be held on Sunday at 4:30 pm, reports Gol.hr on July 27, 2019.

Croatia remain undefeated and are heading to their first-ever final of a Junior World Championship after a 31:28 victory over Portugal ?#Spain2019 #handtastic pic.twitter.com/zslk4SFtOr

— IHF (@ihf_info) July 27, 2019

Portugal was Croatia’s most dangerous rival at this tournament, though Croatia led by four and five goals on two occasions during the game. Portugal finally woke up and played much stronger in the second half.

Between the 47th and 52nd minute, Croatia went from a goal behind (20:21) to up by three goals (25:22). It was a tense match until the very end, when Croatia found that extra energy, focus, and motivation to finally lead by 4 for the 31:28 victory. 

While many worried it would be the end of Croatia’s perfect showing in Spain, Croatia can thank Sarač, Martinović and Mileta, as well as their brilliant defense, for turning the game to their advantage.

Martinović was named the best player of the match with eight goals scored, while Mileta scored seven goals and Sarač six goas. Diogo Silva was unstoppable for Portugal with nine goals, while Fernandes had six on the wings.

Croatia will play in the final against France, who defeated Egypt on Saturday 35:33. Croatia and France will meet on Sunday at 16.30.

This is the first World Championship final for the young Croatian side. So far, they have played twice in the semi-final and lost the next two matches to win 4th place.

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

The European Men’s Handball Championship next January will be the first major competition in handball history to be held in three countries. The draw for the highly anticipated tournament was held on Friday, which saw the Croatia handball team grouped with rivals they know well, reports Gol.hr on June 28, 2019.

The Croatian men's handball team will fight in Group A of the European Championships, which will take place from January 9 to 26 next year in Austria, Sweden and Norway. Croatia’s group includes Belarus, Montenegro and Serbia, with all games held in Graz, revealed the draw in Vienna on Friday.

For the first time, the European Championship will include 24 teams, which will be divided into six groups with four teams in the first round, with the two top teams from each group continuing to the second round.

If Croatia continues in the competition, in the second round, they will move to Vienna to meet against the two first-place teams from Group B, which includes Czech Republic, Northern Macedonia, Austria and Ukraine, and Group C, which boasts Spain, Germany, Latvia and the Netherlands.

The two best teams from both groups of the second round will secure a place in the semifinals.

Both semifinals and the final will be played in Stockholm.

Recall, at the last Euros in January 2018 in Split, Croatia took fifth place. The title was won by Spain, who defeated Sweden in the final, while the bronze went to France.

So far, Croatia has won five medals at European Championships, two silver (2008 in Norway and 2010 in Austria) and three bronze medals (1994 in Portugal, 2012 in Serbia and 2016 in Poland).

? Men’s #ehfeuro2020 Final Tournament Draw: #dreamwinremember pic.twitter.com/0Mxh5JOi2u

— EHF EURO (@EHFEURO) June 28, 2019

Group A (Graz): Croatia, Belarus, Montenegro, Serbia

Group B (Vienna): Czech Republic, Northern Macedonia, Austria, Ukraine

Group C (Trondheim): Spain, Germany, Latvia, Netherlands

Group D (Trondheim): France, Norway, Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Group E (Malmo): Denmark, Hungary, Iceland, Russia

Group F (Gothenburg): Sweden, Slovenia, Switzerland, Poland

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