Handball · International
Spain beat hosts Croatia in European handball opening fixture
Spain defeated hosts Croatia 27–22 in Zagreb on 21 January 2000 in their opening match of the European men’s handball championship.
2000-01-21 · Zagreb
Event date:
The result
Spain defeated hosts Croatia 27–22 in Zagreb on 21 January 2000 in their opening match of the European men’s handball championship. The five-goal Group A victory gave Spain a winning start and forced Croatia to begin their home tournament with a defeat.
The competition
Spain led 16–11 at half-time and preserved the same margin at full-time. Rafael Guijosa scored six goals, while Talant Dujshebaev and Ortega Pérez each added five. Irfan Smajlagić scored six for Croatia and Zlatko Saračević five. The EHF archive records 10,000 spectators. Spain converted three of four seven-metre throws, while Croatia scored six from eight.
The wider context
Spain’s next match was against Norway, followed by meetings with Ukraine, France and Germany. They ultimately reached the semi-finals and won bronze. Croatia’s campaign finished outside the medal places, with a sixth-place result following their placement match against Slovenia. The opener was therefore an early setback in the hosts’ championship programme.
Sources
Check the original record.
Open the governing body or organiser’s publication for the underlying result, decision or tournament update.