The Men’s EHF EURO 2026 main round is fully underway after the opening match of the stage in Malmö, where Croatia took the first points up for grabs in group II. Croatia beat Iceland 30:29 following a close 60 minutes in which they always had the upper hand, albeit very often only by one goal. 

The outcome was decided late, with Dino Slavic making a critical penalty save inside the last three minutes and Mateo Maraš clinching the victory for Croatia as he pulled them away to 29:26 in the next attack. Iceland wing Óðinn Ríkharðsson netted twice to reduce the distance but it was too late, with his final goal scored eight seconds before the buzzer.