Croatia’s senior women’s handball team lost 19:25 to Japan in Group A matchday 3 at the 2025 World Championship, eliminated from the main round and heading to the historic President’s Cup debut.
Croatia started strong with Tina Barišić’s early goals for a 5:3 lead, but Japan tied 10:10 at halftime despite Croatia’s 45% shooting and two missed penalties. Sakura Kametani’s 15 saves (47%) and Natsuki Aizawa’s 8 goals powered Japan’s second-half surge, including a 7-on-6 tactic that built an 11:15 edge; Croatia managed just 9 goals post-break.
No Croat exceeded 3 goals (Barišić and Andrea Šimara with 3 each); Lucija Bešen had 4 saves. Japan shot 67% efficiently, overcoming 5 more turnovers.
Croatia (0-3) faces Uruguay, Paraguay, and Iran in the 25th-32nd place fight; IHF schedules follow all matches.
SERIOUS JOŠKO GVARDIOL INJURY: DALIĆ REACHED OUT, CITY CONFIRMED SURGERY, AND JOŠKO SENT A MESSAGE
Croatia international Joško Gvardiol suffered one of the most serious injuries of his career in…
JOŠKO GVARDIOL INJURY: CONCERN FOR CITY, EVEN BIGGER FOR THE VATRENI AHEAD OF THE 2026 WORLD CUP
Croatian international Joško Gvardiol suffered a serious injury in Manchester City’s league derby against Chelsea,…
MILLION-EURO BID FOR SOLDO LANDS AT MAKSIMIR: SIGMA PUSH, DINAMO WANT MORE, AND THE PLAYER ISN’T RUSHING
Czech club Sigma Olomouc has continued its push in the Croatian market and, after signing Fabijan Krivak from Lokomotiva…
FINE-TUNING IN PRELOG: MAVROVIĆ NAMES THE SQUAD FOR THE FINAL EURO PREPARATIONS
Croatia futsal head coach Marinko Mavrović has announced the list of players called up for…
CB DOWNTOWN WIN THEIR FIRST “KUTIJA”: ONE SET PIECE, 40 MINUTES OF FIRE, AND A TITLE TO REMEMBER
In a packed Dražen Petrović Basketball Center, CB Downtown claimed its first-ever Kutija šibica crown,…
VLAŠIĆ EXTENDS HIS HOT STREAK, GVARDIOL SETS UP THE WINNER
Croatian internationals once again played key roles for their clubs: Nikola Vlašić scored for the…
