Fresh faces help Croatia seal big win against Luxembourg

Fresh faces help Croatia seal big win against Luxembourg

20221106 AH 3577 2
EHF / Adrian Costeiu
09 November 2024, 22:00

Round 2 of the Men's EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers got underway on Saturday with a single match, between Luxembourg and Croatia.

Dagur Sigurdsson’s side led from start to finish, backing up their win against Belgium from three days ago by clinching a 35:25 win against Luxembourg. The result means they top the standings in group 5 for now.

  • although stars like backs Ivan Martinovic and Luka Cindric rested, while Domagoj Duvnjak was out with illness, Croatia still dominated the match
  • Croatia’s right wing Mario Sostaric is now the top scorer of the EHF EURO 2026 Qualifiers, with 16 goals, six of those goals coming against Luxembourg

GROUP 5

Luxembourg vs Croatia 25:35 (9:19)

Three days after conceding a 17:23 loss to Czechia, 17:23, Luxembourg lost their second match in a row and their 74th in 91 tries in the EHF EURO Qualifiers, against a more experienced side in Croatia. The guests did not have Domagoj Duvnjak in the squad, due to illness, but despite this they controlled the match from start to finish. By the break, Croatia led 19:9 lead, with a 79 per cent shot efficiency.

Although Croatia did not get close to breaking their record of 40 goals scored in an EHF EURO Qualifier, set against Türkiye in 2015, they still scored the most goals in a qualifying match since that 40:26 win. While key players like Ivan Martinovic and Luka Cindric were rested, all but one of their outfield players scored at least one goal in the win against Luxembourg.

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20241109 MEUROQ LUX CRO Weyer Quote
“Our team is growing and fitting together from match to match, like we had already proved in Czechia. It was important to pay-off for our fans in the sold-out arena. The red card was a kind of turning point for us, but you have to see which players we have faced. They all play Champions League, Bundesliga or European League. In those terms, our defence and goalkeeper worked well, and we hope to take our points against Belgium in March.
Ben Weyer
Line player, Luxembourg
20241109 MEUROQ LUX CRO Sigurdsson Quote
I was quite satisfied with the match except of some parts in the second half. We could save the powers of some players such as Domagoj Duvnjak, Luka Cindric and Ivan Martinovic.
Dagur Sigurdsson
Head coach, Croatia
20241109 MEUROQ LUX CRO 3
Luxembourg Handball Federation
20241109 MEUROQ LUX CRO 1
Luxembourg Handball Federation
20241109 MEUROQ LUX CRO 2
Luxembourg Handball Federation

Photos © Luxembourg Handball Federation

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