Home gold for Croatia in Wheelchair Nations Tournament

Host nation Croatia edged a tense final against Portugal to win gold on their home court in the final of the fourth European Wheelchair Handball Nations’ Tournament in Zagreb.

In a repeat of the 2018 final, Croatia gained revenge for their defeat to the Portuguese last year but their tight 9:8 victory upgraded that silver medal to a gold one this time around.

The first half saw Portugal lead 4:3 but the hosts raised their game in the second to fight back and take the title much to the delight of the home crowd.

Both finalists reached the gold medal match having won all three of their previous matches. Croatia had won both their group A games, seeing off Hungary and Croatia, while Portugal had beaten the Netherlands and Slovenia in group B.

Croatia had booked their place in the final thanks to a close semi-final win over the Netherlands (11:7) while the Portuguese made light work off Hungary in their semi, winning 13:2.

Croatia had the goalscoring skills of Ante Stimac to thank on their way to lifting the title for the first time as he finished the tournament with not just gold but the title of top scorer, hitting 25 goals. Portugal’s Ricardo Quieros was in second place with 20.

The bronze medal match was also a repeat of the 2018 fight for third place as the Netherlands met Hungary. Dutch took bronze last year but they could not follow it up as the Hungarians reversed the scoreline, taking third place with a 6:3 win.

In the placement match to decide fifth place, Romania beat Slovenia 25:18 on aggregate.

Congratulations to all involved and thank you Zagreb for being great hosts!