Hungary stay alive with fantastic win against Croatia

GROUP I

Hungary vs Croatia 29:26 (14:13)

• a 3:0 unanswered run between the 55th and the 59th minutes, where Hungary had two steals in defence, was the pivotal moment of the match, scoring on fast breaks and creating a three-goal lead
• Hungary have never made the semi-finals at the EHF EURO and have a good chance of improving their best-ever result in the competition, sixth place in 1998
• Hungary’s goalkeeper, László Bartucz, who saved 16 shots for a 38 per cent saving efficiency and was immense in the second half, stopping 42 per cent of the shots he faced, was the Player of the Match, sponsored by Grundfos
• line player Tomislav Kusan scored Croatia’s ninth goal in the match, which was the team’s 3,000th at the EHF EURO, the second team to reach that milestone after France
• Hungary are now on four points in the group, despite their loss against Austria, and will be facing Germany in the next match, a pivotal one for their fate in the group

Hungary power on and prove mental strength

There is something about this Hungary side, with a superb mix of youth and experience, which stands out, and coach Chema Rodriguez really knows how to get the best from his side, especially in crucial moments. Moreover, Hungary proved they are tough mentally, bouncing back in style after their loss against Austria to take a crucial win against Croatia.

Three steals throughout the match and two in the dying minutes were crucial and proved how tough Hungary really are, while the wings really stood out, especially 21-year-old Bence Imre, who had his best EHF EURO outing, with seven goals.

While Hungary closed in on a semi-finals spot, Croatia’s chances are virtually zero now, after another tough loss, their second in a row in the main round. Missing Domagoj Duvnjak, Croatia faltered in crucial moments, but the level has dropped from that excellent 39:29 win against Spain to open the competition, which seems to be a lifetime ago.

Photos © Kolektiff Images