Croatia beat Hungary 31-28 in the round two match of the group stage of the World Championship
It was game two for Croatia in Rouen on January 14, 2017, and as we predicted it was a tough one. Hungary proved to be much more serious opponent than Saudi Arabia, and for the most of the first half, they were ahead.
Croatian team could not find the right rhythm on both sides of the court, and the Hungarians took the four-goal lead. The outside line of Croatian attack was too passive, and the 5-1 defense was not as tight as it should be.
Two decisions by the coach Babić turned things around; he replaced Stevanović with Ivić on the goal and then changed the defensive system to 6-0. In the last few minutes of the first half, Croatia took a 4-0 run, and it was all squared at the half-time.
In the second half, two outside shooters who started off the bench, Mamić and Šebetić, started scoring goals from a distance, Cindrić and Duvnjak added a few, and finally “The Cowboys” allowed their fans to watch the end to a match peacefully.
Coach Babić was happy after the game and told that his players showed proper emotion and passion needed to win the match. He congratulated them for the effort and pointed out that the focus now has to be on the next game, as there is no time for looking back in the tournament mode.
The next opponent for Croatia will be Belarus on Monday.
