Not even the hard-core fans thought that Croatia would be able to snatch a point against Portugal on Saturday evening, with Hrvoje Horvat’s side being down by six goals after 35 minutes.

But riding an immense wave of confidence from right wing Ivan Cupic, who scored nine goals, Croatia mounted a strong comeback to take a crucial 25:24 win, keeping their hopes alive in the Tokyo Handball Qualification 2020.

TOURNAMENT 2
Croatia vs Portugal 25:24 (9:12)

Croatia enjoyed a great start against France on Friday, but faltered in the second half, which meant that the game against Portugal was a must-win clash for the Croatian side on their quest for another Olympic Games berth.

Rookie coach Hrvoje Horvat urged his players to emulate the best parts of the game against France, but the first half against a plucky Portuguese side was far from what Horvat envisioned for his team.

Apart from right wing Ivan Cupic, who scored four times – almost half of Croatia’s goals in the first half – everything seemed to go wrong. Backs Domagoj Duvnjak, Igor Karacic and Luka Cindric combined for only one goal from three shots, as the centre back trio failed to get going.

It meant that Portugal were able to pounce, they took an early lead and never looked back. While goalkeepers Gustavo Capdeville and Manuel Gaspar only combined for one save, it was Croatia’s inefficiency that really helped Portugal build a healthy lead at the break.

It was far from a vintage performance from the ‘Heroes of the Sea’, yet Paulo Pereira’s side jumped to a 12:9 lead, which could have been even larger, if it had not been for six costly turnovers in the first 30 minutes.

To progress to Tokyo 2020, Croatia needed to improve their meagre 47 percent attacking efficiency of the first part of the game and forget about their disastrous performances at Egypt 2021 and under par second half against France. It was the moment of truth and Horvat’s side fell well short.

With a healthy lead in the bag, it was time for Portugal to spice things up and take out their goalkeeper to create a seven-on-six superiority in attack. Whilst the move could have backfired, Portugal took care of the ball and opened a 16:10 lead after 35 minutes.

Yet, miracles happen in handball as well and Croatia got a break on Saturday evening in Montpellier. Their comeback started with a 6:1 run, spurred by Cupic and fellow left wing David Mandic, cutting the gap to only one goal, 17:16, with 17 minutes to go.

Trading goals, Portugal were still in the lead, yet they could not stop Cupic, who finished the game with nine goals. In the end, though, it was still Duvnjak and Cindric who bailed out Croatia.

The two stars scored the last two Croatian goals, while Rui Silva’s late shot was blocked by Luka Sebetic, with Horvat’s side taking an unexpected 25:24 win.

The win put Croatia back into the fold for an Olympic berth, while Portugal’s slow finish of the game – with their attacking output dipping from 70 percent in the first half to 59 percent in the end – meant they could not book their ticket to Tokyo early.

The two sides are now tied on two points, but Croatia seem to have a better schedule, finishing the tournament against Tunisia, while Portugal must face hosts France on Sunday evening.

Photo: FFHandball / Icon Sport