Croatia made four changes to the squad compared to the game against Belgium. Marin Šipic and Davida Mandic were unavailable due to illness. Captain Domagoj Duvnjak and goalkeeper Matej Mandic were rested.
In front of a completely sold-out hall in Kirchberg, Luxembourg with 1,388 spectators, Luxembourg was able to keep up well in the early stages (5:6). It wasn’t until the 13th minute that the home team had to let the favorite Croatians demolish them. With a 4-0 run, Dagur Sigurdsson’s team pulled away for the first time (5:10) and increased it to 6:14 (24th) with another five-point series.
The red card against Sam Richard in the 23rd minute proved to be a heavy burden for Luxembourg. Maik Handschke’s team then lost track. At 9:19 at the break the deficit was ten goals for the first time.
Worry about the captain
The hosts came out of the locker room well and reduced the score to 13:20 with a 4-0 run in the 35th minute. But the Croatian class prevailed. The guests restored their ten-goal lead in the 44th minute and were subsequently able to increase it to twelve goals (18:30, 47th). Ultimately, Croatia won 35:25.
“It was a committed and courageous performance, but you also saw Croatia’s individual class. The scenery and the atmosphere were exemplary and extremely motivating,” commented Luxembourg captain Ben Weyer wort.lu.
Maik Handschke’s team suffered another setback: in the second half, captain Yann Hoffmann had to leave the field with a suspected Achilles tendon rupture. Previously, the left back had slipped.
Luxembourg – Croatia 25:35 (9:19)
Luxemburg: Hermmann (8 parades), Felici (1 p.); Etute (5), Weyer (4), Biel (3), Krier (2), Guden (2), Tomassini (2), Kaysen (2), Zekan (2), Hoffmann (2), Kaysen (1), Köller, Veidig, Richard, Werdel
Croatia: Mestric (7 P.), Kuzmanovic (6 P.); Sostaric (6), Klarica (5), Srna (5), Mihic (3), Maras (3), Lucin (3), Glavas (3), Jelinic (3), Nacinovic (2), Pavlovic (1), Grahovac (1), Cindric, Martinovic, Pribetic
