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Croatia prove too strong for Bahrain

21 Jan. 2021

Croatia prove too strong for Bahrain

A comfortable 10-goal victory against Bahrain saw Croatia climb – at least for now – to the top position in main round Group II, counting five points.

Bahrain on the other hand sit at the bottom of the group with zero points and no chances to advance to the quarter-finals.

MAIN ROUND GROUP II
Croatia vs Bahrain 28:18 (13:8)

It was a rather one-sided match for much of the first half, as Croatia were a dominant force while Bahrain could not find an answer to their free-flowing attack.

The European team went in front 3:0 before Husain Al-Sayyad scored Bahrain’s first goal five minutes into the match.

Croatia then extended their lead to 7:1 and later 9:2, conceding just two goals in the first 20 minutes. However, they did not stay just as focused afterwards. 

Goals by captain Al-Sayyad and some heroic saves by goalkeeper Mohamed Abdulhusain, who recorded eight saves before the break, helped Bahrain to close the gap to a more decently-looking 8:13.

Croatia’s veteran Zlatko Horvat increased their lead by scoring twice early in the second half, yet Bahrain had found their rhythm, and goals by Al-Sayyad and Mohammed Ahmed kept them within a respectable distance.

“I can be proud of our game during 45 minutes of the game, we played good in defence, but the first 15 minutes were not acceptable,” said Bahrain’s coach Halldor Sigfusson. 

Abdulhusain finished the game with 14 saves, but his Croatian colleagues Marin Sego (12 saves) and later Ivan Pesic also did a good job. 

Croatia’s win was never in danger – with 10 minutes to go, Croatia led by five goals (22:17) and they restored full dominance late in the match, cruising to a 10-goal victory. 

hummel Player of the Match: Marin Sego, Croatia