Mandic: “Zagreb are a team in every meaning”

Zagreb have been ever-present in the EHF Champions League, now playing their 30th season. But the four-time finalists from the 1990s have not been back into the quarter-finals since 2015/16.

This season, Zagreb set a goal to get back on track with a mixture of experienced players and young stars – including talented goalkeeper Matej Mandic.

Mandic joined Zagreb in the 2021/22 season from Izvidjac Ljubuski as he got first minutes in the EHF Champions League. An unfortunate combination of health problems and an hamstring injury forced him to skip almost the whole 2022/23 season.

Determined to succeed, Mandic gave all his effort during the pre-season and became Zagreb’s No. 1 between the posts for 2023/24.

“In June, I went to the junior national team and finally got back between the posts. It gave my confidence back and I started preparations with Zagreb in a good mood,” Mandic says. “I was determined to show what I could this season, to be on a high level and from the first day I was giving it all. I think it is showing this season.”

Mandic is on a 39.4-percentage save rate in the Croatian league and is among the top five goalkeepers in Europe’s topflight with 113 saves for a 33-percent efficiency.

From not playing for almost seven months to coming back at the 2023 IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, having four great months at Zagreb, and starring at the Men’s EHF EURO 2024 – Mandic’s last few months sound like quite a journey.

“The European Championship was a great experience for me and all the young players. This was the first championship where I was playing and where I had an important role,” the goalkeeper says. “Croatia might have had a bad result in the end, but the three goalkeepers did a good job. I hope we will continue to build on that.”

However, the first game in the EHF Champions League after the competition’s two-month break did not go as planned. Against Aalborg Håndbold in round 11, Zagreb trailed from the first minute and suffered a 10-goal defeat.

“We didn’t look good on the court. Our attack was not on the desired level and we conceded too many easy goals. Maybe the defence was good on some occasions, but overall we can’t be satisfied with our performance,” Mandic says. “Coach Nenad Sostaric was with us through all preparations and only a few days before the game, we found out that due to his health issues he couldn’t be the coach anymore, so that also played a role.”

Zagreb have four wins, two draws, and five defeats in group A and sit in sixth place with 10 points. Their next opponents, seventh-ranked Kolstad, are just one point below them and with three rounds to play, their clash in the Match of the Week on Wednesday (live on EHFTV at 18:45 CET) is an important factor in the race to the play-offs.

“I hope everything will fall into place for us against Kolstad. This game is one of the most important games this season. There is a good chance the game against Kolstad will decide the play-off spot. We need to give our best and have maximum focus,” Mandic says. “They are playing typical Scandinavian handball – fast pace with transition. We have to bring our mistakes in attack to the minimum as they will punish every mistake we make.”

Mandic sees Kolstad’s back line, led by Sander Sagosen, as their main engine.

“And Torbjørn Bergerud, who is currently one of the best goalkeepers. He could be the main difference. I hope we will do everything we can to stop them and, after a long time, be in a position to go through,” Mandic says.

Mandic has fond memories of the reverse fixture in Croatia last September, when Zagreb celebrated a convincing 31:20 win and he racked up 16 saves for a 47-percent save rate.

“This is going to be a completely different game than the one we play at home. Kolstad will have extra motivation to beat us after we overran them. We need to be smart,” Mandic says. “It will be very tough through all 60 minutes. They are also fighting to go through to the play-offs and with so many at stake, we both will go over the maximum.”

Kolstad have an up-and-down debut season in the EHF Champions League, and they are currently on a three-match losing streak. However, they have also shown what they are capable of.

Still, Mandic believes in his teammates and how they all feel as one group this season.

“The first game against Kolstad was also good for our confidence and after that we played good matches, fighting until the last second,” the goalkeeper says. “We are a team in every meaning all season and I believe that will take us on the right path.”

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