March 13, 2021 - Croatia narrowly defeats Portugal 25:24 in a dramatic finish to stay alive in the Olympic qualifiers! 

The Croatia handball national team met Portugal in the second round of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Montpellier, France on Saturday. 

As France defeated Croatia yesterday (30:26) and Portugal defeated Tunisia (34:27), Croatia's victory in this match was imperative.

However, even with a victory in the remaining two games (Portugal and Tunisia), Croatia was not guaranteed Tokyo. If Croatia beats Portugal and Tunisia, and Portugal beats France tomorrow (and if France celebrates tonight against Tunisia), a round of three national teams with the same number of points can be created, in which case the one with the worst goal difference in the mutual matches of these three teams would be eliminated.

If Croatia does not want to depend on the outcome of the France and Portugal match (Sunday, 9 pm), they would have to go for the best possible goal difference. A win of at least five goals against Portugal, along with any win against Tunisia on Sunday, would have taken Croatia to Tokyo no matter how the clash between France and Portugal ends.

If Croatia drew against Portugal, they would have to win against Tunisia by more than seven points and wait for France's victory against Portugal.

Croatia v. Portugal Recap

Maric scored the opening goal of the game for 1:0 Croatia. Martinovic scored a rocket from the outside for 2:2 in the 7th minute and again for 3:4. 

Portugal led by 3 goals in the 10th minute. Cupic scored for 4:6 two minutes later. Croatia had only scored 4 goals in the first 15 minutes of the match. 

Cupic scored his second goal for 5:6. Cindric scored for 6:7 in the 16th.

Cupic scored again, this time from a 7-meter throw, for 7:8. Mandic made it 8:9 in the 19th minute. 

Portugal led by 3 goals in the 23rd minute (8:11).

Cupic scored from 7 meters for 9:12 with two minutes to go in the first half. 

Duvnjak scored Croatia's first goal of the second half for 10:13. Croatia was down by 4 goals in the 34th minute. 

Cupic scored his gift goal of the game in the 36th minute from 7 metes (11:16).  

Mandic made it -4 moments later for 12:16.  Cupic was 6/6 in the 40th minute for -3 (13:16). 

Mandic made it 14:16 one minute later. Musa scored for 15:17 in the 42nd. Cupic scored for -1 in the 43rd (16:17)!

Mandic scored for 17:18 with 15 minutes to go. It was 18:19 thanks to Maric with just over 10 to go, and 19:20 thanks to Cindric a minute later. 

Strlek scored for 20:21 in the 52nd minute. The brilliant Cupic scored yet again, this time for the critical equalizer for 21:21! 

Cindric scored for 22:22 with five minutes to go and Cupic for 23:23 with three minutes left. 

Croatia finally retook the lead at 24:23 thanks to captain Duvnjak! A dramatic ending it would be. 

Portugal equalized at 24:24 in the final minute. Cindric made it 25:24 with 15 seconds left, which was the final score of the game! 

Croatia plays Tunisia on Sunday at 18:30. 

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

March 12, 2021 - France defeats Croatia 30:26 in the thrilling first game of the Olympic Qualifiers in Montpellier, France. 

Croatia and France met on Friday night to open their Olympic qualifying campaign in Montpellier. Portugal and Tunisia are also in their group, and the two first-placed national teams will compete in Tokyo this summer. 

Recall, after a desperate performance at the World Championship in January, Lino Červar left the Croatia national team bench and was replaced by Hrvoje Horvat.

Horvat took 20 players to Montpellier, though the official record can include 16. Horvat thus left goalkeeper Mate Šunjić, Ilija Brozović, Luka Šebetić, and Halil Jaganjac out of the lineup for this match. 

The game against France was Horvat's debut as the Croatia coach. 

Croatia v. France Recap

Duvnjak scored the first goal of the game in the 4th minute for 1:0 Croatia. Cupic made it 2:0 for Croatia five minutes later for 2:1. 

France took the lead for the first time in the match in the 11th minute - 2:3. 

Cupic scored from a 7-meter throw in the 13th minute to equalize. Karacic made it 4:4 moments later and Cupic for 5:5 from 7 meters again. 

Cindric gave Croatia the lead for 7:6 in the 17th minute. Martinovic scored for 8:7 two minutes later. Croatia was up by 2 goals thanks to Karacic in the 20th.

It was 10:7 for Croatia one minute later! 

Karacic made it 11:8 in the 23rd, and it was 12:9 a minute after that. Martinovic made it 13:10 in the 25th - and Cindric for Croatia's biggest lead of the game - 14:10 in the 27th!

Fifteen seconds before the half, Cupic scored for +4 (15:12). 

Croatia opened the second half with a quick goal by Cupic for 16:12. Cindric nailed the goal in the 32nd minute for 17:12! 

Cupic scored from 7-meters for 18:15 in the 37th minute and it was 19:15 one minute later. 

Martinovic showed his class again for 20:16 in the 39th. France came back to -2 just two minutes later (20:18). 

A stunner from Duvnjak made it 21:18. Martinovic scored again for 22:19 in the 43rd. Cupic scored for 23:20 one minute later. 

Pesic and Sego were brilliant in goal for Croatia all game. 

However, France started making their comeback and was behind by just one goal in the 47th minute. They equalized for 23:23 in the 49th. 

Croatia failed to score with an extra player in the attack and France retook the lead for 23:24 in the 51st minute. 

Cupic made it 24:24 moments later, and 25:25 from 7 meters with seven minutes left. 

But France was up by two goals with just over five minutes left. 

Cupic scored from 7 meters for 26:28 Croatia with three minutes to go. Strlek missed a one-on-one with the keeper moments later to keep France up by two goals. 

The game ended 30:26 for France.  

Croatia will play against Portugal tomorrow at 18:30, and against Tunisia at the same time on Sunday. Portugal beat Tunisia 34:27 in the first game and thus took the first step towards Tokyo.

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

March 11, 2021 - Croatia handball departs for Montpellier after a short preparation in Zagreb ahead of the Olympic qualifying tournament this weekend.

The Croatia men's handball team has completed three short days of preparation ahead of the Olympic qualifying tournament hosted by Montpellier from March 12 to 14. This is a new challenge for Croatia that ensures a spot in Tokyo at the Olympic Games this summer. 

New coach Hrvoje Horvat and his professional staff had only a short time to prepare for the competition in France, refreshing the players who competed in several matches recently and preparing the others who have played less.

The schedule in Montpellier is hellish. In three days, the national team will face three extremely difficult rivals; the first against the best national team of all time, and the host - France - on Friday, the always improving Portugal on Saturday, and a clash against one of the best African national teams on Sunday - Tunisia.

Due to COVID-19, the World Handball Federation has allowed each national team 20 players. Up to 16 can be on the player list for each match, and five changes are possible. 

As it is known, Hrvoje Horvat had 21 players at his disposal during these short preparations. Since he has the most numbers in the outside positions, he decided to drop Matej Hrstić. The valuable member of PPD Zagreb thus stays at home. 

List of Croatia national handball team members:

1. MARIN ŠEGO – MONTPELLIER HB
2. IVAN PEŠIĆ – HC MEŠKOV BREST
3. MATE ŠUNJIĆ – US IVRY HANDBALL
4. IVAN ČUPIĆ – RK VARDAR 1961
5. ZLATKO HORVAT – RK METALURG SKOPJE
6. MANUEL ŠTRLEK – TELEKOM VESZPREM HC
7. DAVID MANDIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB
8. ŽELJKO MUSA – SC MAGDEBURG
9. MARINO MARIĆ – MT MELSUNGEN
10. ILIJA BROZOVIĆ – TSV HANNOVER -BURGDORF
11. KREŠIMIR KOZINA – FRISCH AUP GOPPINGEN
12. LUKA CINDRIĆ – BARCELONA
13. DOMAGOJ DUVNJAK – THW KIEL
14. IGOR KARAČIĆ – HC LOMZA VIVA KIELCE
15. MARKO MAMIĆ – SCDHFK LEIPZIG
16. HALIL JAGANJAC – RK NEXE
17. IVAN MARTINOVIĆ – HC HANNOVER -BURGDORF
18. DOMAGOJ PAVLOVIĆ – MT MELSUNGEN
19. LUKA ŠEBETIĆ – TREMBLAY EN FRANCE HANDBALL
20. ŠIME IVIĆ – HC ERLANGEN

The Croatia national handball team has been to the Olympic Games five times so far and won gold in Atlanta and Athens.

The Croatia handball team travels to France on Thursday.

Source: HRS

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

March 5, 2021 - Croatia handball gathers in Zagreb on Sunday ahead of the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Montpellier, France, held from March 12 to 14, 2021. The two best teams from each group will secure a spot in Tokyo. 

Gol.hr reports that the Croatia men's handball team will gather in Zagreb on Sunday, March 7, and begin preparations for the Olympic qualifying tournament in Montpellier from March 12 to 14, 2021.

Croatia is in a group with France, Portugal, and Tunisia, and the two best national teams from the group will compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The national team will stay and train in Zagreb until Thursday, March 11, when they will travel to Montpellier.

The World Handball Federation announced that the capital of Montenegro - Podgorica, will host the qualification tournament number 1, which was to be held in Trondheim, Norway.

Namely, since Norway has stringent epidemiological measures, they had to cancel hosting the Olympic qualifying tournament, in which Norway, Brazil, Chile, and South Korea were to participate.

The third tournament is played in Berlin (Germany, Sweden, Slovenia, and Algeria).

Croatia's new coach Hrvoje Horvat called for all the best that Croatian handball currently has, except for the injured Luka Stepančić and pivot Marin Šipić.

List of Croatia national handball team members:

1. MARIN ŠEGO – MONTPELLIER HB
2. IVAN PEŠIĆ – HC MEŠKOV BREST
3. MATE ŠUNJIĆ – US IVRY HANDBALL
4. IVAN ČUPIĆ – RK VARDAR 1961
5. ZLATKO HORVAT – RK METALURG SKOPJE
6. MANUEL ŠTRLEK – TELEKOM VESZPREM HC
7. DAVID MANDIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB
8. ŽELJKO MUSA – SC MAGDEBURG
9. MARINO MARIĆ – MT MELSUNGEN
10. ILIJA BROZOVIĆ – TSV HANNOVER -BURGDORF
11. KREŠIMIR KOZINA – FRISCH AUP GOPPINGEN
12. LUKA CINDRIĆ – BARCELONA
13. DOMAGOJ DUVNJAK – THW KIEL
14. IGOR KARAČIĆ – HC LOMZA VIVA KIELCE
15. MARKO MAMIĆ – SCDHFK LEIPZIG
16. HALIL JAGANJAC – RK NEXE
17. IVAN MARTINOVIĆ – HC HANNOVER -BURGDORF
18. DOMAGOJ PAVLOVIĆ – MT MELSUNGEN
19. LUKA ŠEBETIĆ – TREMBLAY EN FRANCE HANDBALL
20. ŠIME IVIĆ – HC ERLANGEN
21. MATEJ HRSTIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB

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

February 9, 2021 - The first Croatia handball player list under coach Horvat has been released ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers next month. 

The new coach of the Croatia men's senior national team, Hrvoje Horvat, has published a list of 21 players he is counting on for the Olympic Qualifiers to be held in Montpellier from March 12 to 14, 2021. As is already known, Croatia is in a group with France, Portugal, and Tunisia. The two best national teams from each of the three groups will compete in the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Apart from Montpellier, qualifying tournaments are also played in Berlin and Trondheim.

The player list also includes two well-known names who were not in Egypt at the World Championship - Luka Stepančić, a member of MOL-Pick Szeged, and Domagoj Pavlović, who plays for Melsungen. Both of these players were injured and could not compete in Egypt.

Croatia handball player list:

1. MARIN ŠEGO – MONTPELLIER HB
2. IVAN PEŠIĆ – HC MESHKOV BREST
3. MATE ŠUNJIĆ – US IVRY HANDBALL
4. IVAN ČUPIĆ – RK VARDAR 1961
5. ZLATKO HORVAT – RK METALURG SKOPJE
6. MANUEL ŠTRLEK – TELEKOM VESZPREM HC
7. DAVID MANDIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB
8. ŽELJKO MUSA – SC MAGDEBURG
9. MARINO MARIĆ – MT MELSUNGEN
10. ILIJA BROZOVIĆ – TSV HANNOVER -BURGDORF
11. MARIN ŠIPIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB
12. LUKA CINDRIĆ – BARCA
13. DOMAGOJ DUVNJAK – THW KIEL
14. IGOR KARAČIĆ – HC LOMZA VIVA KIELCE
15. MARKO MAMIĆ – SCDHFK LEIPZIG
16. HALIL JAGANJAC – RK NEXE
17. IVAN MARTINOVIĆ – HC HANNOVER -BURGDORF
18. DOMAGOJ PAVLOVIĆ – MT MELSUNGEN
19. LUKA ŠEBETIĆ – TREMBLAY EN FRANCE HANDBALL
20. LUKA STEPANČIĆ – MOL – PICK SZEGED
21. MATEJ HRSTIĆ – RK PPD ZAGREB

Hrvoje Horvat, the men's senior national team coach, on choosing this lineup:
"The skeleton of the national team is in some form as it was in the last two gatherings. We only hope that all the players on the list will be healthy and able to respond. There are no big surprises as far as players are concerned; there is very little time. My right hand on the bench will be Igor Vori, and I will not have a classic assistant coach. Matija Bilušić will sit on the bench as a goalkeeper coach, and I am happy to strengthen the staff with the goalkeeper coach. Two new physiotherapists, Goran Krušelj and Matija Rajnović will deal with this part of the job. A slightly thinner headquarters, but I believe that this is the right path and that we will show it."

When announcing his list of players, Horvat also announced the composition of the new staff. Thus, for the beginning of his term, Horvat will be without a classic assistant. The goalkeeper's coach remains Matija Bilušić, who also performed this task during the World Championship in Egypt. In the future, he will train goalkeepers and sit on the bench next to the coach. The new physiotherapists of the national team are Goran Kruselj and Matija Rajnovic. The rest of the staff remains unchanged. In other words, there are still Dr. Krešimir Rotim, Dr. Tomislav Kukin, director of all Croatia national teams Ivica Udovičić, sports director of men's national teams Igor Vori, who will continue to be on the bench, spokesperson and team manager Ivica Maraš, and technician Zdravko Mirilović.

Coaching staff:
1. HRVOJE HORVAT, COACH
2. MATIJA BILUŠIĆ, GOALIE COACH
3. MILJENKO RAK, CONDITIONING TRAINER
4. GORAN KRUŠELJ, PHYSIOTHERAPIST
5. MATIJA RAJNOVIĆ, PHYSIOTHERAPIST
6. KREŠIMIR ROTIM, MEDIC
7. TOMISLAV KUKIN, MEDIC
8. IVICA UDOVIČIĆ, DIRECTOR OF ALL NATIONAL TEAMS
9. IGOR VORI, SPORTS DIRECTOR OF MEN'S TEAMS
10. IVICA MARAŠ, SPOKESPERSON AND TEAM MANAGER
11. ZDRAVKO MIRILOVIĆ, TECHNICIAN

Source: HRS

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

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

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