Handball · International
France and Croatia draw 26–26 as Group A reaches its final standings
France and host Croatia drew 26–26 in Rijeka on 27 January in the final preliminary round of the Men’s EHF EURO 2000. France held a 12–11 half-time lead, while Croatia scored 15 to France’s 14 after the break. The shared result preserved France’s unbeaten group record but left Croatia behind the two semi-final qualifiers.
2000-01-27 · Rijeka
Event date:
The story
France and host Croatia drew 26–26 in Rijeka on 27 January in the final preliminary round of the Men’s EHF EURO 2000. France held a 12–11 half-time lead, while Croatia scored 15 to France’s 14 after the break. The shared result preserved France’s unbeaten group record but left Croatia behind the two semi-final qualifiers.
How it unfolded
Patrick Cazal scored eight goals for France, Jackson Richardson six and Andrej Golic four. Nenad Kljaić led Croatia with six, Irfan Smajlagić contributed five and Zlatko Saračević four. France converted one of two seven-metre throws and Croatia three of five. The EHF record lists 3,500 spectators for the meeting between the group leaders and the hosts.
The wider picture
France finished Group A first with nine points from four victories and this draw. Croatia took third place with seven, one point behind Spain. France went on to face Russia in the semi-finals on 29 January, while Croatia entered the fifth-place match against Slovenia. The draw was the only preliminary fixture in which France dropped a point.
Period by period
| Half / final | France | Croatia |
|---|---|---|
| First half | 12 | 11 |
| Second half | 14 | 15 |
| Final | 26 | 26 |
Sources
Check the original record.
Open the governing body or organiser’s publication for the underlying result, decision or tournament update.