Hungary made it to the semi-finals of the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship for the third time in history and for the first time since hosting the competition in 2005, with a nail-biting 28:23 win over Croatia, which extended Hungary’s winning streak at Germany/Greece 2023 to six games.
 
Quarter-final 3

• Hungary vs Croatia 28:23 (13:13)

 
Judging from the previous matches between the two sides, it was always going to be a close one between Hungary and Croatia and the impression was highlighted even more due to the prize for the winner – a place in the semi-finals at the 2023 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship.
 
Yet the first 15 minutes were nowhere near as balanced as it had been previously predicted, with Hungary leading the way all the time, with an excellent 5-1 defence which derailed Croatia’s ambitions in attack. The advanced defender, Dániel Sztraka in this case, really shined, boasting two interceptions which translated into goals, helping his side gain a 11:5 foothold into the game.
 
Slowly but surely, Croatia started to adapt, becoming more creative and relying even more on the breakthroughs of their back line, while a change between the posts, with Matej Mandic replacing Dominik Kuzmanović, helping the runners-up at the previous edition of the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship to strengthen their position.
 
An 8:2 run to finish the first half saw Croatia tie the game and reaffirm the balanced nature of the game, with everything set to be decided in the last 30 minutes of the match, as Hungary found themselves put under heavy pressure by a resurgent Croatia side.
 
While Croatia took control of the game in the second half, they did not manage to open a gap bigger than one goal, with Hungary constantly finding ways to push back, whether it was via their backs – Máté Ónodi-Jánoskúti and Péter Lukács combined for nine goals – or their wings, it always looked like Croatia could not improve their grip on the game.
 
Indeed, Hungary decided the outcome with a 5:0 run between the 48th and 56th minutes, when Croatia failed to score a goal for nine minutes and 48 seconds, as goalkeeper Kristóf Palasics and Hungary’s defence really stopped everything there was to stop from Croatia.
 
It did not help that influential centre back Matej Vuleta went out on a stretcher due to an Achilles injury, with that blow being crucial for Croatia’s chances, as the team could not get anything going in attack from that moment on.
 
With a 28:23 win, their sixth in a row at Germany/Greece 2023, Hungary made it to the semi-finals of the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship for the first time since 2005, and they will face Iceland in a do-or-die game for the chance to play for the title.
 
Croatia’s elimination from contention means that none of the teams that won medals at Spain 2019, the previous edition of the competition, are still in the hunt for a medal, as the runners-up from four years ago now head to the Placement Matches 5-8.
 
hummel Player of the Match: Máté Ónodi-Jánoskúti (Hungary)