Handball · International
Slovenia edges host Croatia 25–24 to finish fifth at EURO 2000
Slovenia defeated host Croatia 25–24 in the fifth-place match at the Men’s EHF EURO 2000 in Zagreb on 29 January. The teams were level at 12–12 at half-time. Slovenia won the second half 13–12 to settle the contest by a single goal in front of an officially recorded crowd of 10,000.
2000-01-29 · Zagreb
Event date:
The story
Slovenia defeated host Croatia 25–24 in the fifth-place match at the Men’s EHF EURO 2000 in Zagreb on 29 January. The teams were level at 12–12 at half-time. Slovenia won the second half 13–12 to settle the contest by a single goal in front of an officially recorded crowd of 10,000.
How it unfolded
Zoran Jovičić, Aleš Pajovič and Roman Pungartnik each scored six for Slovenia, together contributing 18 of its 25 goals. Irfan Smajlagić led Croatia with seven, while Slavko Goluža and Zlatko Saračević added five each. Croatia converted both of its seven-metre throws; Slovenia scored three from four. The final victory placed Slovenia fifth and Croatia sixth.
The wider picture
Both teams had finished third in their preliminary groups. Croatia collected seven points through three victories, one draw and one loss, including a closing draw against France. Slovenia took four points from two wins in Group B and qualified for this placement fixture ahead of Portugal and Denmark. The match completed both countries’ six-game tournament schedules.
Period by period
| Half / final | Croatia | Slovenia |
|---|---|---|
| First half | 12 | 12 |
| Second half | 12 | 13 |
| Final | 24 | 25 |
Sources
Check the original record.
Open the governing body or organiser’s publication for the underlying result, decision or tournament update.