EURO 2026 Handball: Croatia start with hard-fought win

(Photo credit: © kolektiff)

Croatia opened their EHF EURO 2026 Handball Championship campaign with a dramatic and far from convincing 32–29 victory over debutants Georgia in Group E, surviving a major scare in Malmö Arena.

Arriving at the tournament as reigning world silver medallists, Croatia were widely expected to ease past Georgia in their opening match.

However, the underdogs delivered a shock performance that kept Croatian supporters on edge until the final minutes.

Instead of a calm and controlled start, Croatia endured a nightmare first half. Georgia played with confidence, pace and no sign of intimidation, while Croatia struggled badly at both ends of the court.

(Photo credit © Jozo Cabraja/kolektiff)

Defensive organisation was lacking, the attack lacked clarity, and a series of technical errors allowed Georgia to seize momentum.

At one stage, the tournament debutants built a stunning six-goal lead, threatening one of the biggest upsets of the competition. Croatia only avoided complete collapse late in the first half, stringing together a crucial run of goals to turn the score around and take a narrow and somewhat misleading 15–14 lead into the break.

The second half brought little immediate relief. Croatia edged ahead but were unable to break clear, as Georgia repeatedly punished mistakes and stayed firmly in touch.

The match developed into a tense, goal-for-goal contest, with pressure mounting as time ticked away.

Croatia were ultimately rescued by individual quality. Tin Lučin and captain Ivan Martinović provided key attacking contributions, while goalkeeper Dominik Kuzmanović produced several vital saves at crucial moments. Despite the efforts, Croatia struggled to find rhythm, and the bench failed to inject the freshness needed to settle the contest earlier.

(Photo credit © Jozo Cabraja/kolektiff)

In the end, Croatia ground out a 32–29 win to secure the two points. Mario Šoštarić led the Croatian scoring with eight goals, while Giorgi Tskhovrebadze stood out for Georgia with six.

With significantly tougher group matches against Sweden and the Netherlands to come, head coach Sigurdsson and his squad will know that a rapid improvement in performance is essential if Croatia are to meet their high ambitions at the tournament.