The quarterfinal day of the Elite Men’s European U16 Championships in Istanbul demonstrated that the results from the group stage are not as significant in a two-division system.
Out of the four teams that directly qualified for the quarterfinals after the group stage, only one, Italy, remains in contention for medals. The other teams advancing to the semifinals are Hungary, Croatia, and Montenegro.
2025 Elite Men’s European U16 Championships, Istanbul, Quarterfinal Day
After beating Greece, Montenegro, and Croatia in the group stage, Italy maintained its perfect record with an easy victory over host Turkiye – 22:9.
Hungary, which finished 3rd in Group B (where it was convincingly beaten by Spain and Serbia) is the only team from that group to advance to the semifinals. The Hungarians eliminated Greece, defeating them 13:9. They had a 2-goal advantage at halftime (4:2). Greece still had a chance before the next 16 minutes, but the Hungarians dominated in the third period. They built an 8:3 lead by the 21st minute and didn’t let Greece come close in the remainder of the game.
Croatia earned only one point in the group stage but advanced to the semifinals thanks to a 15:13 victory over Serbia in a thrilling quarterfinal match filled with twists and turns. Serbia was considered the favorite, having won all nine points during the group stage. However, Croatia got off to a strong start, scoring the first two goals of the game. Serbia managed to establish a two-goal lead in the second period (7:5 and 8:6). The third quarter favorably shifted toward the Croats, who took a slim 11:10 advantage before entering the final eight minutes. Serbia began the fourth period with two quick goals, pulling ahead at 12:11. In response, Croatia, led by Nardo Skejic, who scored 7 goals, launched a decisive 4:0 run, taking a 15:12 lead with just 73 seconds left on the clock and securing the victory.
Montenegro and Spain met in the last match of the day. At the first break, the teams were tied at 4:4. Montenegro had a 3-goal lead at halftime (9:6), but Spain reduced the gap at the finish of the third quarter (11:12). However, the Spaniards didn’t equalize. Montenegro controlled the match in the fourth quarter and recorded an 18:14 win. Danilo Roganovic contributed seven goals to Montenegro’s victory, but the best scorer of the game was Spain’s captain, Tiago Carrio, who found the net eight times.
Quarterfinals
Italy – Turkiye 22:9 (5:2, 6:3, 5:1, 6:3)
Greece – Hungary 9:13 (2:2, 0:2, 3:6, 4:3)
Serbia – Croatia 13:15 (4:4, 4:3, 2:4, 3:4)
Spain – Montenegro 14:18 (4:4, 2:5, 5:3, 3:6)
Semifinals (Saturday)
1st – 4th place: Italy – Montenegro, Hungary – Croatia
5th – 8th place: Greece – Serbia, Turkiye – Spain
9th – 12th place playoffs, semifinals
Netherlands – Romania 15:8 (4:3, 3:2, 3:1, 5:2)
Georgia – Germany 6:17 (0:2, 3:3, 2:7, 1:5)
The Netherlands and Germany will play in a 9th-place match, while Romania and Georgia will battle for 11th position.
Classification group 13th—15th place, 1st round
Malta – Poland 14:18 (2:6, 5:5, 5:5, 2:2). Moldova bye
2025 Division 1 Men’s European U16 Championships, Ljubljana, Day 5
Group A: Bulgaria – Cyprus 16:9, France – Slovakia 23:13, Portugal – Slovenia 14:21.
Final standings: 1. Bulgaria 15, 2. France 12, 3. Slovenia 9, 4. Cyprus 6, 5. Slovakia 3, 6. Portugal 0.
Group B:Czechia – Lithuania 8:9, Ukraine – Bosnia and Herzegovina 17:8, Latvia – Switzerland 4:29.
Final standings: 1. Ukraine 14, 2. Bosnia and Herzegovina 12, 3. Switzerland 10, 4. Lithuania 6, 5. Czechia 3, 6. Latvia 0.
Semifinals (Saturday)
1st – 4th place: Bulgaria – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine – France.
5th – 8th place: Slovenia – Lithuania, Cyprus – Switzerland
9th – 12th place: Slovakia – Latvia, Portugal – Czechia.
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