March 6, 2022 - France was better than the Croatia women's handball team for the second time this week, winning 27-19 in Toulouse on Sunday in the 4th round of the EHF Euro 2022 qualifiers. 

The Croatia women's handball team lost to France in the 4th round match of the EHF Euro 2022 4th qualification group in Toulouse 19-27 (9-13).

Two days ago in Koprivnica, France was better than Croatia, winning 21-19, though Croatia put up a great fight. Croatia offered good resistance to the Olympic champion in the return match as well, which they played without coach Nenad Šoštarić, who is sick with an intestinal virus. Šoštarić was thus replaced on the bench by Snježana Petika. 

At the end of the first half, Croatia played well, holding the 9-9 draw. France then scored four goals in a row and went into halftime with a significant advantage. In the second half, Croatia did not manage to bring the result much closer. 

Dejana Milosavljević was the best for Croatia with four goals, while Kristina Prkačin, Ana Debelić, and Andrea Šimara scored three goals each. France's Grace Zaadi was the most efficient with four goals. Croatia's goalkeeper Ivana Kapitanović recorded 9 saves.

This was Croatia's 58th match in the history of European qualifiers. So far, until this match, Croatia counted 38 wins, 2 draws, and 17 defeats. France, on the other hand, had played 55 matches, with 39 wins, 4 draws, and 12 defeats. Recall, in the last two years, France has also won the Olympic gold, world, and European silver.

France leads Group 4 of the EHF EURO 2022 qualifications with a maximum of six points, Croatia has two points, as well as Ukraine, while the Czech Republic is without points. Two duels between Ukraine and the Czech Republic have been postponed due to the war in Ukraine.

The EHF EURO 2022 will be jointly organized by Slovenia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. 

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

March 2, 2022 - The Croatia men's handball team will gather for the first time since the European Championships to face Finland or Ukraine in the 2023 World Handball Championship qualifiers. 

The Croatia men's senior national team will gather for the first time since the European Championships when a part of the European national teams will play the first phase of qualifications for the 2023 World Championship or in the so-called EHF week. 

Coach Hrvoje Horvat announced the list of players for this campaign, which will take place in Varaždin from March 14 to 20, 2022. There are 22 players on the coach's list, and there are ten more on the reserve list.

During their week-long stay in Varaždin, the national team will only train and prepare for the World Championship qualifying matches against the match-winner between Finland and Ukraine.

A new part of the expert staff has also been published, which you can see below. Namely, Ivan Stevanović returns to the national team, but as a goalkeeper coach.

"There are some new names on the list that have imposed their form in clubs. But, of course, part of it includes those who left a great impression at the recently concluded European Championships. We are taking this upcoming week of joint preparations very seriously and responsibly because it is an ideal opportunity for us to work a little more on our game since there are no friendly matches in that period," said coach Hrvoje Horvat.

Player list

1. MARIN ŠEGO – MONTPELLIER HB
2. MATEJ MANDIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB
3. DOMINIK KUZMANOVIĆ – RK NEXE
4. DAVID MANDIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB
5. MARIN JELINIĆ – RK NEXE
6. IVAN ĆUPIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB
7. VLADO MATANOVIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB
8. FILIP PERIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB
9. MARIN ŠIPIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB
10. ŽELJKO MUSA – RK PPD ZAGREB
11. MARINO MARIĆ – MT MELSUNGEN
12. VERON NAČINOVIĆ – MONTPELLIER HB
13. DOMAGOJ DUVNJAK – THW KIEL
14. LUKA CINDRIĆ – BARCA
15. IGOR KARAČIĆ – LOMZA VIVE KIELCE
16. HALIL JAGANJAC – RK NEXE
17. MARKO MAMIĆ – SC DHfK LEIPZIG
18. TIN LUČIN – ORLEN WISLA PLOCK
19. LUKA ŠEBETIĆ – HC MOTOR
20. IVAN MARTINOVIĆ – TSV HANNOVER-BURGDORF
21. MATEO MARAŠ – HC EUROFARM PELISTER
22. LUKA LOVRE KLARICA – RK PPD ZAGRE

Reserve list 

1. LEON ŠUŠNJA – ORLEN WISLA PLOCK
2. FILIP VISTOROP – RK PPD ZAGREB
3. DAVOR ĆAVAR – RK PPD ZAGREB
4. JOSIP BOŽIĆ PAVLETIĆ – HC EUROFARM PELISTER
5. LOVRO MIHIĆ – ORLEN WISLA PLOCK
6. JAKOV GOJUN – RK PPD ZAGREB
7. IVAN PEŠIĆ – TVB 1898 STUTTGART
8. MATE ŠUNJIĆ – US IVRY HANDBALL
9. KRISTIAN PILIPOVIĆ – KADETTEN SCHAUFFHAUSEN
10. JOSIP ŠARAC – FRISCH AUF GöPPINGEN

Coaching staff 

1. HRVOJE HORVAT, COACH
2. IVANO BALIĆ, TRAINER
3. IVAN STEVANOVIĆ, GOALKEEPER TRAINER
4. ŠIME TOMAŠEVIĆ, CONDITIONING TRAINER
5. ŽELJKO KERCEL, PHYSIOTHERAPIST
6. FILIP ŠIMUNOVIĆ, PHYSIOTHERAPIST
7. SILVIA JURATOVAC, MT THERAPIST
8. KREŠIMIR ROTIM, DOCTOR
9. DOMAGOJ GAJSKI, DOCTOR
10. IVICA UDOVIČIĆ, NATIONAL TEAM DIRECTOR
11. IVICA MARAŠ, SPOKESPERSON AND TEAM MANAGER
12. ZDRAVKO MIRILOVIĆ, TECHNICAL

Source: HRS 

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

January 30, 2022 - The draw for both rounds of the 2023 World Handball Championship qualifiers was held in Budapest on Saturday. 

The draw took place in two phases, as there are two qualifying rounds. Thus, the first to be drawn was the national teams that have already passed the first round of qualifications by groups, i.e., those ranked from 15th to 24th place at this European Championship, reports HRS.

UKRAINE - FINLAND
ITALY - SLOVENIA
PORTUGAL - SWITZERLAND
AUSTRIA - ESTONIA
GREECE - BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
NORTHERN MACEDONIA - ROMANIA
ISRAEL - LITHUANIA
SLOVAKIA - BELGIUM
FARO ISLANDS - BELARUS

The first matches will be played from March 16 to 17, and the return matches on March 19 to 20, 2022. The first-named national teams are the hosts in the first matches.

The second round of qualifications was then drawn. Russia and Ukraine could not face each other. Therefore, Russia was drawn first and will play against the winner of Slovakia - Belgium. The Croatia men's national handball team will thus play against the winner between Ukraine and Finland in the 2023 World Handball Championship qualifications, which is being played in Sweden and Poland next year. 

RUSSIA - WINNER SLOVAKIA / BELGIUM
WINNER UKRAINE / FINLAND - CROATIA
WINNER GREECE / BiH - MONTENEGRO
WINNER PORTUGAL / SWITZERLAND - NETHERLANDS
WINNER ITALY / SLOVENIA - SERBIA
GERMANY - WINNER OF THE PHARE ISLANDS / BELARUS
CZECH REPUBLIC - WINNER SJ. MACEDONIA / ROMANIA
WINNER AUSTRIA / ESTONIA - ICELAND
WINNER ISRAEL / LITHUANIA - HUNGARY

The Croatia handball team is participating in the second round of qualifications, played in two games between April 11 and 17 this year.  The return match is played in Croatia.

Six European national teams have already won their place at the World Championships. These are hosts Sweden and Poland, Denmark as world champions, and France, Spain, and Norway.

"We can be happy with the draw. Ukraine is a slight favorite in the match against Finland. We saw them at this European Championship. They showed several young, very talented players. They will certainly include three to four of the best who were not at the Euros. Most have experience playing in the Champions League. Finland is somehow the weakest of the Scandinavian countries, but it is certainly not to be underestimated. But if Croatia is right, and we have no reason to doubt it, we should move on without major problems. Especially before we play the return match at home," said coach Hrvoje Horvat. 

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

January 27, 2022 - After finishing 8th place at the EHF Euro 2022, the Croatia men's handball team will play the 2023 World Handball Championship qualifiers this April. 

The Croatia men's handball team ended their performance in the last round of the EHF Euro 2022 main round with a draw against the Netherlands.

After last year’s World Championship in Egypt and missing out on the Olympics, this is another handball competition to forget. The Cowboys finished in eighth place.

While the coronavirus disrupted coach Hrvoje Horvat's plans, we were fortunate to witness new handball talent, with players like Tin Ličin, who was not originally part of the team. 

So, what's next? 

There will be a new World Championship organized jointly by Sweden and Poland in a year. These two national teams, as well as the current champion Denmark, have a spot already secured. Europe will add at least 12 more national teams, three of which will qualify directly as the best at the current Euros, while nine national teams will play in the qualifiers.

As Denmark and Sweden reached the semifinals, the European Championship fifth-place leads directly to the World Championship. Spain also won a spot because they reached the semifinals.

Croatia will thus have to qualify for the World Championship, for which a draw will be held already on Saturday. After that, they will be included in the second round, which will be played in two matches between April 11 and 17 this year. Their opponents will be some of the national teams that will play the first round between March 14 and 20.

Slovenia, Portugal, North Macedonia, Slovakia, BiH, and other possible opponents are not harmless rivals, so Croatia hopes for a good draw. 

Who coach Horvat will choose to join the national team then remains to be seen.

First round:

Seeded teams: Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Northern Macedonia, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine

Unseeded: Belgium, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Israel, Greece, Italy, Romania, Switzerland

Second round:

Seeded: Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia, Germany, Russia, Montenegro, Netherlands

Unseeded: nine first-round winners

Source: Gol.hr

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

January 26, 2022 - Croatia ended their EHF Euro 2022 campaign with a draw against the Netherlands on Wednesday night. 

The last European Championship match for Croatia was against the Netherlands in the last round of Group I on Wednesday. Both teams lost their chance at the semifinal, so the match was not of importance - though it's always nice to say goodbye to the Euros with a win.

The Netherlands was left without several key players due to the coronavirus. Meanwhile, Croatia coach Hrvoje Horvat thanked Ivan Slišković, Šimo Ivić, and Vlado Matanović who went back to their clubs early. Today's Croatia lineup included Pešić, Pilipović, Čupić, Glavaš, Martinović, Maraš, Cindrić, Gadža, Lučin, Srna, Jelinić, Ćavar, Marić, Šipić, Načinović, and Gojun.

Recall, after losing to Denmark, Croatia lost all chances of reaching the semifinals. Despite winning against Iceland, Croatia was ultimately left without a chance to fight for third place in the group, which brings the match for fifth place, the last leading directly to the 2023 World Championships. Croatia will thus have to play World Championship qualifiers this spring. 

Recap

Sipic scored for 2:0 Croatia in the 2nd minute. The Netherlands scored for 2:1 going into the 3rd minute. Sipic made it 3:1 going into the 4th minute. 

Sipic scored his 4th goal of the match for 4:4 Croatia in the 6th minute. 

The Netherlands took the 5:4 lead in the 7th minute. Srna scored for 5:5 in the 10th minute. 

Sipic scored his 5th goal for 6:5 Croatia in the 12th minute. Cindric made it 7:6 a minute later. 

The Netherlands led 9:8 in the 17th minute. Cupic equalized for 9:9 in the 19th minute. The Netherlands led by 2 goals for the first time of the match in the 22nd minute - 11:9. 

Gadza scored for 11:10 in the 23rd minute. The Netherlands led 13:11 with 4 minutes to go. Martinovic scored for -1 Croatia in the 27th minute before the Netherlands made it 14:12 with two minutes to go. 

It was 15:13 for the Netherlands going into halftime. 

Martinovic opened the second half with a goal for Croatia for -1 - 15:14. Martinovic equalized from 7 meters for 15:15 in the 32nd minute. 

Martinovic equalized for Croatia again with a penalty in the 34th minute for 16:16. Sipic made it 17:17 in the 38th minute. 

Martinovic scored his 7th goal of the match for 18:18 in the 41st minute. Sipic made it 19:19 a minute later. 

Martinovic finally put Croatia back in the lead for 20:19 in the 45th minute. Srna made it 21:19 for Croatia in the 46th minute. Cindric made it 22:19 a minute later. 

Croatia was leading 26:24 with 5 minutes to go. Martinovic scored his 12th goal in the 56th minute for 27:25. Croatia was up by only one goal with a little over a minute to go. 

The Netherlands equalized for 27:27 in the final minute. Lucin scored for 28:27 in the final 15 seconds and the Netherlands equalized for the final 28:28. 

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

January 23, 2022 - Losing to Denmark on Saturday night in Budapest came with even more consequences outside of the Euros - Croatia will likely have to play in the 2023 World Handball Championship qualifiers this spring. 

Not only did losing to Denmark in Budapest eliminate the last theoretical possibility for Croatia to reach the European Handball Championship semifinals, but it almost certainly left Croatia without a direct spot in the next big competition - the World Championships, to be played in Poland and Sweden in January 2023, reports Gol.hr.

In addition to the hosts Poland and Sweden and the current world champion Denmark, Europe will grant at least 12 national teams the chance to participate in the World Champs, three of which will qualify directly as the best at the current Euro held in Hungary and Slovakia, while nine will play in the qualifiers.

Thus, the three best national teams in this European Championship besides Denmark, Poland, and Sweden will qualify for the World Champs, which means that, in case Denmark and Sweden reach the Euro semifinals, then the fifth place will lead to a spot at the World Champs. The national teams that are third in the groups of the second round will play for fifth place, for which Croatia, which is currently at zero points, has a very small chance. 

Even if Hrvoje Horvat's team wins against Iceland and the Netherlands, many other factors would have to coincide again for Croatia to finish third in this group, on Friday, January 28, play the game for fifth place, and only then, if Denmark and Sweden are in semifinals, win direct placement at the World Champs.

A far more realistic scenario is that this will not happen and that Croatia will have to play qualifiers. They will be included in the second round, for which the draw will be held this weekend in Budapest, at the end of the Euro. It is played in two games between April 11 and 17 this year, and the opponent will be some of the national teams that will play the first round between March 14 and 20.

2023 Handball World Cup Qualifiers:
First round:

Seeded teams: Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Northern Macedonia, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine

Unseeded: Belgium, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Israel, Greece, Italy, Romania, Switzerland

Second round:

Seeded: Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia + six national teams from the European Championship (potentially Croatia)

Unseeded: nine first-round winners

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

January 22, 2022 - Denmark ended Croatia's semifinal hope in the second match of the EHF Euro 2022 main round on Saturday night. 

The Croatia handball team played their second game of the European Championship main round against Denmark at 20:30. Denmark is the favorite not only in tonight's match but also to win the tournament, and Croatia needed a victory to stay in the game for the semifinals. 

Coach Hrvoje Horvat had Alilović, Pilipović, Čupić, Glavaš, Martinović, Ivić, Maraš, Cindrić, Gadža, Lučin, Slišković, Jelinić, Šipić, Marić, Načinović, and Gojun at his disposal tonight. Compared to the last game, Kristian Pilipović came in instead of Ivan Pešić, and right winger Mateo Maraš instead of left winger David Mandić.

Recap

Croatia didn't score in their first attack and Denmark scored for 1:0 in the 2nd minute. Cindric scored to equalize at 1:1 in the 4th minute. 

Denmark scored from 7 meters for 2:1. It was 3:1 for Denmark in the 5th minute. Lucin made it 3:2 a minute later. 

Lucin made it 4:3 in the 8th minute. Denmark scored for 5:3 in the 10th. 

Lucin scored for -1 Croatia - 5:4 - in the 12th minute. Denmark made it 6:4 in the 13th minute. Denmark was up by 3 in the 15th minute - 7:4. 

Alilovic made an incredible save to keep Denmark ahead only by 3 goals in the 16th minute, though they scored for 8:4 moments later, forcing a Croatia timeout. 

Maras scored for 8:5 in the 18th minute. Lucin scored for 8:6 moments later. 

Glavas made it 9:7 in the 20th and Martinovic 9:8 in the 21st. Maras put Croatia back to -1 for 10:9 in the 22nd. 

Maric equalized for 10:10 with 5 minutes to go in the first half! Cupic missed from 7 meters with two minutes to go. 

Denmark led by two goals in the final minute of the first half (12:10). Maric scored for -1 - 12:11 to end the first half. 

Denmark opened the second half with a goal for 13:11. Maric made it 13:12 in the 31st. 

Denmark led by 3 goals in the 33rdd - 15:12. Cupic scored for 15:12 moments later. 

Martinovic scored for 16:14 in the 35th. Jelinic scored for 17:15 in the 36th. Martinovic made it 18:16 in the 38th minute. 

Maric put Croatia down to just -1 in the 40th - 18:17. Denmark was up 20:17 in the 42nd minute. 

Cindric scored for 20:28 in the 44th minute. Jelinic scored for 21:19 a minute later. 

Maric scored for 22:20 in the 51st minute. It was 23:21 for Denmark with 8 minutes to go. 

Maric scored for 25:22 in 56th. Cupic made it 25:23 with 3 minutes to go. Maric scored for 26:24 with a minute and a half left. Maric scored again for 27:25, which was the final score. 

Croatia plays Iceland next on Monday. 

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

January 21, 2022 - Does Croatia handball have a chance at making the EHF Euro 2022 semifinals? Yes, but it won't be easy. 

Because the Croatia men's handball team did not transfer any points to the next phase of the competition and lost to Montenegro 32:26 in the first game of the second round, their chances of reaching the European Handball Championship semifinals are slim. However, there is a glimmer of hope, reports T.portal.

So, how can Croatia move to the knockout stage of the competition? 
1) The first condition is that Croatia can no longer lose and needs to win the next three games: Denmark (Saturday), Iceland (Monday), and the Netherlands (Wednesday). If they lose to Denmark, they have no shot. 
2) The second condition comes down to the other results, of which the key one is for France to beat Denmark in the group derby. In that case, France would be first in the group with ten points, Croatia and Denmark would have six points each, and Montenegro and Iceland four points each.
3) In addition, some other results must coincide, so it is so important that Montenegro beats the Netherlands on Saturday, and France beats Iceland.
4) Furthermore, Denmark should be expected to win against the Netherlands and France against Montenegro. It is also important that Iceland outplays Montenegro.

Thus, Croatia does not depend on themselves, and needing to secure three consecutive victories, including against powerhouses Denmark and Iceland, is not totally realistic. 

However, with so much at stake, coach Hrvoje Horvat decided to make several changes in the team in order to present the best possible players at the European Championship. 

Against Denmark tomorrow, Kristian Pilipović will be part of the team, who today (January 21, 2022), acquired the right to play for Croatia, in addition to Lovro Mihić and Mateo Maraš.

"We go game by game, defeat hurts and we are not happy that we lost. We are in a specific situation where we need to constantly revise, always start all over again. It will be very difficult to play, we will need to be maximally concentrated and provide the best possible game," said Horvat.

Croatia and Denmark meet on Saturday at 20:30. 

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

 January 20, 2022 - Croatia falls to Montenegro 26:32 in the first match of Group I in the EHF Euro 2022 main round in Budapest. 

The main round of the European Handball Championship began on Thursday. Croatia met Montenegro in their first match of Group I.

Croatia enters the second round of the competition without points. Denmark, France, and Iceland transferred two points each, while Montenegro and the Netherlands also entered without points.

In Group II, Germany, Spain and Russia have two points each, while Norway, Sweden, and Poland have no points.

Croatia coach Hrvoje Horvat was not able to count on Valentin Ravnić today and invited three new players to the national team as COVID-19 plagued the roster. Thus, Mirko Alilović, Ivan Slišković, and Veron Načinović joined the Croatia squad. 

Recap

Cupic scored the first goal for Croatia for 1:0. Cindric scored for 2:2 in the 5th minute. It was 3:3 in the 8th minute. 

Montenegro was leading by 2 goals in the 12th minute - (3:5). Cupic scored for 4:6. Cindric scored for 5:7 in the 18th - and Cindric made it 6:8 in the 20th. 

Cupic scored his 3rd goal of the game for 7:9. Lucin made it 8:10 in the 24th and 9:11 a minute later. 

Montenegro was leading 13:9 with two minutes to go in the first half. A catastrophic end to the first half - Montenegro was up by 6 goals - 15:9.

Croatia goalkeeper Alilovic saved Montenegro's first attack of the second half. Cupic scored for 10:15 in the 31st minute. 

Alilovic saved Montenegro's next attack and Nacinovic scored for 11:15! 

It was 13:19 for Montenegro in the 38th minute before Cindric scored for 14:19 a minute later.

Gadza brought Croatia back to -5 in the 41st minute - 15:20. Cupic scored from 7 meters for 16:21 in the 43rd. Gadza scored again for 17:21. Mandic scored for 18:22 a minute later. 

Cupic and Martinovic made it 20:25 in the 48th. But Croatia's hope quickly dwindled - they were behind by 6 goals entering the final 10 minutes of the game, and Montenegro was up by 7 goals moments later. It was 28:20 for Montenegro in the 51st minute. 

Lucin scored for 21:28 with 7 minutes to go. Jelinic scored for 23:29 with 4 minutes left. Cupic scored for 24:30 with 3 minutes to go and it was 25:31 with 2 left. Cindric made it 26:31. The match ended 26:32 for Montenegro. 

Croatia plays Denmark next on Saturday. 

For today's remaining matches of Group I, France and the Netherlands play at 6 pm and Denmark and Iceland at 8:30 pm. In Group II, Russia and Sweden also met at 3:30 pm, Germany and Spain (6 pm), and Poland and Norway (8:30 pm).

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

January 18, 2022 - The Croatia handball team has learned their first opponent of the EHF Euro 2022 second round, which will be played this Thursday in Budapest. 

Croatia fell to France in the first match of Group C on Thursday, topped Serbia on Sunday, and crushed Ukraine on Monday to advance to the second round of the EHF Euro 2022. Though their fate in the second round wasn't entirely left up to them. 

Because France defeated Serbia (29:25) on Monday to advance to the second round with a maximum of three victories, Croatia too advanced to the next phase of the competition. 

Croatia advanced to the second round of the European Handball Championship as the second-placed team in Group C.

The Cowboys finished in Szeged behind France, which beat Serbia, and now travel to Budapest to play four more games as part of the newly formed Group I.

The competition format is such that Group I will feature the two best teams from groups A, B, and C (with the transfer of points won in the mutual match with the national team that also moves forward). 

First-placed Denmark and second-placed Montenegro passed from group A, which knocked out Slovenia in the direct calculation for the second place. Denmark and France, who is the winner of Group C, transferred two points to the second round.

As for Group B, the last round will be played on Tuesday. So far, Iceland is the best, recording both victories. On the other hand, host Hungary managed to recover from the shock defeat at the opening of the Euro against the Netherlands and beat Portugal in the last seconds of the second match (Hungary and Iceland and the Netherlands and Portugal will meet in the last round).

Although the list of participants in the second round has not yet been completed, Croatia has already learned their first opponents. Thus, Hrvoje Horvat's team will first play on Thursday, January 20, against the second-placed team in Group A (Montenegro).

C2 (Croatia) will play against A1 on Saturday, January 22, the current world champion Denmark.

There will be a clash against the winner of Group B on Monday, January 24, and two days later (Wednesday, January 26) a match against the runner-up in Group B.

From this second-round group, the two best teams will advance to the semifinals of the European Championship, while the third-placed team will play for fifth place. All this will take place from January 28 to 30 in Budapest. 

Source: Gol.hr

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