Croatia Beats France For Handball World Championship Final!
Croatia Beats France For Handball World Championship Final!
Blog Article
January 30, 2025 – An absolutely brilliant Croatia has beaten France to secure their spot in the Handball World Championship final!
Croatia topped France 31-28 in Zagreb tonight for a spot in the final of the 2025 Men’s Handball World Handball Championship! The other finalist will be known tomorrow after Denmark and Portugal play in the second semi-final match.
Croatia has played in the semi-finals of major competitions (World Championship, European Championship, Olympic Games) 19 times. Croatia had been successful nine times and has been stopped 10 times. Six semi-finals were played against France with a head-to-head of 3-3 before tonight.
Tonight’s semi-final was also the home-court farewell for captain Domagoj Duvnjak and Igor Karačić, who played in the Croatia jersey in front of home fans for the last time.
Croatia delivered a sensational first half, dominating France with precision and intensity. France kept pace only until the ninth minute, trailing just 5-4, but then Croatia unleashed a blistering 5-1 run, surging ahead to a commanding 10-5 lead. The teams briefly traded goals, but from the 18th to the 25th minute, Croatia played near-flawless handball, stretching their advantage to a staggering 17-8.
At halftime, Croatia held a comfortable 18-11 lead. The standout performer of the first half was Marin Jelinić, who netted five goals from five attempts and added two steals. He was closely followed by Mateo Maraš and Zvonimir Srna, who each scored four goals, while Martinović contributed three, consistently piercing through goalkeepers Rémi Desbonnet and Charles Bolzinger.
France started the second half stronger, cutting Croatia’s lead to just four goals within the first five minutes. As Croatia struggled offensively midway through the period, Srna stepped up with three consecutive goals to keep the lead at six.
With seven minutes left, France closed the gap to just three, thanks to a goal from Dika Mem during a two-man advantage after Marko Mamić and Marin Jelinić were sent off. However, the defining moment came in the very next attack. Igor Karačić, from an incredibly tough angle, fired a crucial goal, while Dominik Kuzmanović sprinted back to make a critical save on France’s fast-break attempt.
The remainder of the match saw both teams exchanging goals, but Croatia held firm to secure their place in the final. Zvonimir Srna was named Player of the Match, finishing with seven goals, the same tally as the flawless Marin Jelinić. Ivan Martinović added six goals and five assists, while Kuzmanović shined once again with 15 saves, including two penalty stops.
The final is played on Sunday at 18:00 in Oslo, while the match for 3rd place is at 15:00. Sunday’s final will be Croatia’s fifth World Championship final in history. So far they have won one and lost three. Croatia celebrated their only World Championship title in 2003 in Portugal, when they defeated Germany 34:31 in the final.
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