Croatia heat up semi-final race with second main round win

GROUP II

Switzerland vs Croatia 24:28 (11:13)

H2H: 0-0-5
Top scorers: Samuel Zehnder 6/7 (SUI); Zvonimir Srna 5/8, Ivan Martinović 5/10 (CRO)
Goalkeeper saves: Nikola Portner 3/19, Mathieu Seravalli 4/15 (SUI); Dominik Kuzmanović 7/25, Dino Slavić 1/4 (CRO)
POTM presented by Grundfos: Dominik Kuzmanović (CRO)

• as they have so often at the EHF EURO 2026, Switzerland had the better start and not only led the game through the first 15 minutes but kept Croatia from scoring until Luka Cindric struck early in the 10th minute, 4:1
• both teams had an unusual starting line-up: for Croatia, captain and key back Ivan Martinović started on the bench as he nursed a minor ankle injury, while Switzerland opted for Manuel Zehnder instead of Lenny Rubin
• after a timeout in the 10th minute, Martinović came on, and both the pause and the right back’s arrival signalled a new beginning — Croatia found a much faster pace and it was Martinović who levelled for the first time at 7:7 in the 17th, before Zvonimir Srna’s third goal gave Croatia a 8:7 lead
• Switzerland kept in touch but the momentum was with Croatia; at the 25-minute mark, Croatia keeper Dominik Kuzmanović had a save rate of 40 per cent and immediately after his team took their first three-goal lead, 12:9
• Croatia could not cast Switzerland off fully until the last 10 minutes — with nine to go, the difference was still narrow, 24:22, before Croatia powered to the buzzer and opened a four-goal gap

Switzerland look for match-winning recipe

Switzerland are in a new era, with coach Andy Schmid having retired from his legendary on-court career after the previous edition of the Men’s EHF EURO and moving into the new role on the bench. That change came after a few years with an upward trajectory for Switzerland, in which they returned to both the World Championship and EHF EURO events after more than a decade. The side have now played four major tournaments since 2020, but are nevertheless still finding their feet at this level.

At the EHF EURO 2026, Switzerland have shown a tendency to start games very strong, and their only loss prior to that against Croatia was by three goals. Most significantly, they have had two matches in which they led clearly through the first 40 minutes before succumbing to either a defeat or a draw.

Against Croatia, Switzerland opened very well, keeping the 2025 World Championship silver medallists out of the goal for almost 10 minutes. That slow start only seemed to fuel Croatia, and once the Balkan side found the goal, they had all the momentum. Schmid rotated his side a lot and tried seven-against six. It was in many ways a more balanced game from Switzerland, though they trailed from the 18th minute on. But overall, Croatia proved the most commanding team against Switzerland so far at the EURO.

Photos © kolektiff images