GROUP E
H2H: 1-2-3
Top scorers: Rutger Ten Velde 8/10 (NED); Ivan Martinović 9/13 (CRO)
Goalkeeper saves: Matthias Rex Dorgelo 8/37, Jorick Pol 0/5 (NED); Dominik Kuzmanović 8/35, Matej Mandić 0/2 (CRO)
POTM presented by Grundfos: Ivan Martinović (CRO)
- even though the Netherlands opened with a two-goal lead, Croatia soon levelled as they successfully stopped the Dutch's fast approach and forced them to longer-lasting attacks; the teams were still in deadlock or trading narrow leads in the first 20 minutes
- both sides were struggling in attack, converting below 60 per cent of the shots, but a defensive approach laid fruit mainly for the Croats, as they punished the Dutch mistakes and went to a three-goal lead (11:8) in the 21st minute
- by half-time, Croatia withstood the Dutch comeback and went to the break ahead by two, as Mario Šoštarić stole the spotlight once again with three goals in the last 15 minutes of the first half
- the hasty attacks continued in the second half, but Rutger Ten Velde and Ivan Martinović led their respective sides as the teams entered the last 15 minutes still levelled
- on-time Dominik Kuzmanović's eighth save and a new Dutch mistake opened the space for Croatia to make a break in the last 10 minutes, as they finally consolidated their attacks
- the Netherlands managed to score only four times in those 10 minutes, while Croatia were successful nine times
New team captain leads Croatia
Croatia arrived at the European Championship carrying high expectations and public pressure following their silver medal run at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship. While their EHF EURO opener did not fully convince, the result mattered more than the impression — and Croatia delivered again when it counted the most.
The contest against the Netherlands was anything but straightforward. Croatia had not beaten the Dutch since 2015, when they claimed a 27:24 win in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, with the following three meetings producing two draws and one Dutch victory.
This time was no different, as the Netherlands pushed Croatia for 50 minutes, but then the Croats finally broke the Dutch resistance to secure two vital points and get a step closer to a main round place. If Sweden later in the day beat Georgia, both are qualified.
The Croatian hero? Team captain Ivan Martinović, who had an incredible game netting in every decisive moment, when it looked like Croatia came to a stall, particulary in the 53rd minute when he scored for 29:25. The right back finished on nine, bringing his EHF EURO tally to 60.
Until the 50th minute it was a close game. We wanted the whole game to play with speed, to outrun them at the end, to let them not change in defence. That was our tactic, and I think we did at the beginning a pretty good job. But in the whole game we made too much technical faults in attack, in the six against six, because of our speed.
It was a tough game, because pressure was on us, because we needed to win to pass to the second round. Netherlands, it’s a tough opponent, they run a lot and it’s a direct opponent; we stopped them at the beginning of this game.
