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Croatia claimed the Balkan derby, beating Slovenia 29:25 in the teams’ 50th anniversary meeting.
Croatia came out fully fired up and made the first big statement after ten minutes, racing to a 5:1 lead. They protected that cushion until the 20th minute, when Slovenia closed in to 9:7. The Slovenians had a few chances to cut it to a one-goal game, but failed to take them, and Croatia went into the break with a solid +3 (14:11).
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Croatia holding the advantage from the first period—until Uroš Zorman’s side tightened up defensively. A 4:0 run in the 42nd minute brought Slovenia level at 18:18. Croatia responded immediately, though, scoring three straight goals to regain a three-goal edge (22:19).
Slovenia refused to fold and had an answer for the pressure, so the game entered the final five minutes with everything wide open at 25:24 for Croatia. But Dagur Sigurdsson’s men kept their composure, closed the match out calmly, and secured a crucial win.
This result puts Croatia in a strong position in the race for the semi-finals—especially with Iceland having drawn Switzerland earlier in the day. In the last round, Croatia will effectively control their own fate: a win over Hungary sends them into the final four.
Tin Lučin led Croatia with seven goals, while Domen Makuc and Domen Novak scored six each for Slovenia.
Slovenia – Croatia 25:29 (11:14)
Slovenia: Baznik (5 saves), Vujović (5 saves); Henigman, Janc 2, Tajnik 1, Jovičić 1, Kodrin 2, Horžen 4, Grmšek, Cokan 1, Mlivic, Zabič, Makuc 6, Mačkovešek 1, Novak 6, Suholežnik.
Croatia: Kuzmanović (3 saves), Matej Mandić (6 saves); Šoštarić 2, Klarica 3, Srna 1, Maraš, Raužan 1, Mamić, Čindrić 2, David Mandić 6, Lučin 7, Martinović 3, Šušnja, Glavaš 3, Jelinic, Načinović 1.
Mandatory Credit © Jozo Cabraja / kolektiff
