The Croatian men's handball team will begin the second round of the World Championship on Wednesday at 18:00 in Arena Zagreb, facing Cape Verde. The matches against Slovenia and Iceland are also coming up in the continuation of the tournament.
On Monday, Iceland won 23-18 in a direct clash against Slovenia, thus transferring four points to the second round, just like Egypt. Croatian player Mario Šoštarić praised Iceland's strong defense and excellent goalkeeper, noting that both teams are quality and will require serious preparation.
After two rest days, the Croatian team has analyzed Cape Verde's game. Cape Verde was defeated by Iceland (21-34) and Slovenia (24-36) in the first round, but managed to beat Cuba 38-28. Šoštarić is confident in a win against Cape Verde, highlighting their pivot as the key player.
Despite injuries to Domagoj Duvnjak, Luka Cindrić, and David Mandić, the Croatian team is facing challenges, but Šoštarić believes in the team's potential and promises maximum effort in all second-round matches.
After facing Cape Verde, Croatia will play against Iceland on Friday, January 24 at 20:30, and the final group match against Slovenia two days later at the same time. The goal is to place among the top two teams in the group and advance to the quarterfinals.
Schedule and Standings - Group 4 (Second Round):
Matchday 1 (Jan 22):
- Argentina vs Slovenia (15:30)
- Croatia vs Cape Verde (18:00)
- Egypt vs Iceland (20:30)
Matchday 2 (Jan 24):
- Argentina vs Cape Verde (15:30)
- Egypt vs Slovenia (18:00)
- Croatia vs Iceland (20:30)
Matchday 3 (Jan 26):
- Iceland vs Argentina (15:30)
- Cape Verde vs Egypt (18:00)
- Croatia vs Slovenia (20:30)
Standings:
- Egypt 4 points (67-49)
- Iceland 4 points (57-39)
- Croatia 2 points (57-46)
- Slovenia 2 points (54-47)
- Cape Verde 0 points (45-70)
- Argentina 0 points (43-72)
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