Croatia open account with a hard-fought victory over Georgia

EHF / Danijela Vekić

17 January 2026, 20:15

The opening match of the Men's EHF EURO 2026 group E in Malmö saw Croatia overcome their setbacks against Georgia, as the Croatians sealed a hard-fought 32:29 victory.

However, despite the clear result, Georgia — appearing at their second EHF EURO — showed a great play and fighting spirit, and were in the lead for a good part of the game, putting a significant pressure on the 2025 IHF World Championship runners-up right until the final buzzer, but Croatia prevailed and managed to win.

GROUP E

CROATIA VS GEORGIA 32:29 (15:14)

H2H: 1-0-0
Top scorers: Mario Šoštarić 8/9 (Croatia), Giorgi Tskhovrebadze 7/14 (Georgia)
Goalkeeper saves: Dominik Kuzmanović 2/16, Matej Mandić 3/16 (both Croatia), Zurab Tsintsadze 8/38, David Nikabadze 0/1 (both Georgia)
POTM presented by Grundfos: Mario Šoštarić (Croatia)

both sides had a nervous start with only one goal coming from each in the first five minutes of the game
built on Croatia's hasty attack, Georgia were first to make a break and set a six-goal lead in the 17th minute with Miriani Gavashelishvili netting three while the score was at 11:5
Croatia head coach Dagur Sigurdsson tried to shake things up with new players coming in, but it took more than10 minutes to consolidate when they finally levelled 12:12 in 27th minute
Georgia's main power in the first half was their back court shooting, while Croatia relied more on breakthroughs and fast breaks
the teams were deadlocked for the better part of the second half — Croatia opened with 18:13, but Georgia soon restored their lead
it was a back-and-forth battle, with Croatia trying their 5-1 defence, and the Croats finally secured a win just a minute before the buzzer, when Ivan Martinović scored for 31:28, passing 50 EHF EURO goals

Slow and tough-earned, but successful start for Croatia

For Croatia, this European Championship marks a turning point. After claiming silver at the IHF World Championship, long-serving captain Domagoj Duvnjak, along with Igor Karačić and Ivan Pešić, have retired from international duty, with a new generation now taking the reins.

Despite Croatia’s cautious approach to opening matches, regardless of the opponent, shaped by past lessons at major tournaments, the favourites passed their first test in Malmö. However, they were right to be alert, as Georgia were leading until minute 27, but in the end Croatia have now recorded 12 opening-match wins, suffering just four defeats and one draw across their 17 EHF EURO appearances, including this edition.

The first game is always tricky. It took us a long time to find our feet. We were six goals back, but after that I think we control the game a little bit better. In the second half we were stronger, even though we missed a lot of good chances. Also the first half, a lot of technical errors.

Dagur Sigurdsson

Head coach, Croatia

Of course we are disappointed, because the start was very good for us. It was obvious that we had some turnovers and everything, but it’s part of the game. But I’m so proud of my team, because we gave everything. I’m really proud of me, because it’s my first game in the EURO, and we tried our best. We showed, not the first time, that we can play everyone. We will try to qualify (from) this group.

Nikoloz Kalandadze

Left back, Georgia