Croatia Beats Hungary for Handball World Championship Semi-final!

Daniela Rogulj

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Photo by Slobodan Kadić

January 28, 2025 – With a 31-30 victory against Hungary, Croatia placed among the four best national teams in the world for the seventh time!

Croatia and Hungary met in the first quarterfinal of the 2025 Men’s Handball World Championship at the Arena Zagreb on Tuesday night. In a dramatic finish and literal last-second goal, Croatia beat Hungary 31-30! Recall, that Croatia finished in first place in Group IV of the main round, while Hungary finished in second place in Group II behind France.

For a place in the final, Croatia will play against the winner of the match between France and Egypt, which will be played tonight at 21:00.

The first half concluded in a deadlock, 16:16, after an intense and unpredictable 30 minutes. Croatia started strong, taking a 4:2 lead by the eighth minute. However, a dry spell followed, with only two goals in the next 10 minutes, allowing Hungary to turn the tide and build a commanding +4 lead.

Zvonimir Srna kept Croatia within striking distance, scoring three of the team’s four goals between the 19th and 22nd minutes, narrowing the deficit to -2. Despite Hungary leading 13:10 in the 23rd minute and mounting another attack, Croatia’s head coach Sigurdsson was sent off for protesting referee decisions.

Paradoxically, the ejection seemed to galvanize Croatia. Hungary’s 7-on-5 strategy backfired when Filip Glavaš scored two long-range goals within 30 seconds, capitalizing on a save by Dominik Kuzmanović and later intercepting a pass. Croatia closed the first half with a 3:0 run, briefly taking the lead before Hungary equalized at 16:16 through Zoran Ilić’s goal.

Glavaš led all scorers in the first half with five goals, while Šipić, Lučin, and Srna each contributed three.

Hungary opened the second half slightly better, but Croatia reclaimed the lead through a stunning sequence by Kuzmanović. The 22-year-old goalkeeper made two consecutive saves in one attack before scoring into Hungary’s empty net for 20:19. After Lučin’s goal for 21:20, Hungary responded with a 3:0 run to establish a 24:21 advantage.

A timeout by Sigurdsson sparked another Croatian resurgence, with a 3:0 run tying the game again. However, Hungary’s coach countered with a timeout of his own, leading to a decisive 5:1 run that saw Hungary pull ahead 30:26 with just five minutes remaining.

At this critical juncture, Sigurdsson made a bold move, substituting Kuzmanović for Ivan Pešić in goal. Pešić delivered three crucial saves, while Croatia mounted an improbable comeback with a 4:0 run, capped by Glavaš’s penalty goal to level the score at 30:30.

With only 10 seconds remaining, Hungary failed to capitalize on their possession, giving Croatia one final chance. The ball found an unmarked Marin Šipić, who scored in the final second to seal a dramatic 31:30 victory and send Croatia to their first World Championship semifinal since 2017.

Šipić and Srna each scored five goals, while Glavaš led Croatia with six. Croatia, which finished fourth in 2017, will now aim for a spot in the final. On Thursday, they will face the winner of the quarter-final match between France and Egypt.


 

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