France is promoted to Sub-division 1 of the European Elite U18 Championships.
The crossover matches at the 2025 Europeans in Oradea took place today. France is the only team from Sub-division 2 that beat its rival and advanced to the quarterfinals, which means that it will play in Sub-division 1 at the next edition of the Championships, among the best eight teams.
France, which dominated Group D in the first stage, defeated the Netherlands 12:11 in the crossover game, sending the Dutch to the “lower house” at the next championships.
In other crossover games, there were no surprises. The favorites recorded convincing wins. Greece defeated Poland 21:12. Serbia was better than Malta, 18:13, while Spain beat Germany 14:7.
Quarterfinals (Friday): Montenegro – France (15:00), Croatia – Greece (16:30), Hungary – Serbia (18:00), Italy – Spain (19:30) – all times are CET.
2025 European U18 Championships, Elite Division, Oradea, Day 4
CO Crossover round
Netherlands – France 11:12 (2:1, 1:3, 3:5, 5:3)
Greece – Poland 21:12 (5:2, 3:2, 5:3, 8:5)
Serbia – Malta 18:13 (3:2, 7:2, 4:2, 4:7)
Spain – Germany 14:7 (3:1, 3:2, 4:0, 4:4)
The most anticipated game of the day was an encounter between the Netherlands and France, as it was the only crossover match without a clear favorite. Both teams had similar chances, and the duel did not disappoint. The French and the Dutch fought a hard battle, with France staying in the lead for most of the time.
As in earlier group games, the Netherlands started strong and controlled the score in the opening minutes, leading 3:2 in the 10th minute. However, the French took over from there, launching a 3:0 run in eight minutes to establish a 5:3 lead. Deep into the third period, France increased its margin to four goals at 8:4. The Netherlands refused to give up, responding with a 5:2 run to trail only by a goal (9:10) with five and a half minutes left on the clock. France answered well, scoring two quick goals to extend the lead to 12:9 and held off the Dutch’s comeback attempts. The Netherlands managed to narrow the gap to one goal at 11:12, but that 11th goal came just three seconds before the final buzzer. France’s standout player was Agrefilo, who scored four goals, while Scroletti and Braise Fernande each contributed three goals to the victory. De Zwart was the top scorer for the Netherlands with three goals.
Poland made a surprise by reaching the crossover round, but could not upset Greece. The Greeks started strong, earning a 4:0 lead in the first four minutes. The Poles managed to cut the deficit to three goals on several occasions, but Greece kept them from closing the gap further. Although their defense wasn‘t at a high level, Greece’s offense performed well, resulting in a nine-goal victory (21:12). Consistent with their previous matches, the top scorers for Greece were Angelopoulos with six goals and Chatzis with five. The best scorer for Poland was Grief, who netted four goals.
After three consecutive defeats in the group stage, Serbia started slowly against Malta, with the Maltese taking a 2:0 lead by the middle of the first quarter. Serbia struggled offensively at the beginning and did not score until the 6th minute. However, that marked the beginning of their 9:0 run, flipping an opening 0:2 deficit into a 9:2 lead by the 14th minute. Midway through the third period, Serbia achieved its first nine-goal lead (13:4). The Serbs maintained that advantage until it reached 16:7. Malta fought back and narrowed the distance in the final six minutes, Luigi Canepa led Serbia’s attack with four goals, while the match’s top scorer was Malta’s Dimech, with five.
Unlike Greece and Serbia, Spain played very well in defense today. The Spaniards opened the match with a 3:0 run. Late into the first quarter, the Germans broke the deadlock – 1:3. In the 9th minute, they came even closer – 2:3. However, Spain controlled the match. Germany scored its 3rd goal in the 15th minute – 3:5. But, they couldn’t find the net in the following ten minutes. After Germany’s third goal, Spain scored five unanswered by the end of the third period. It concluded a 6:0 series early in the fourth to build an 11:3 lead and book the ticket for the quarterfinals. Soler and Comabella cored three goals each for Spain
CL 13th-16th place classification, semifinals
Georgia – Turkiye 8:11 (2:4, 2:1, 2:3, 2:3)
Ukraine – Romania 12:16 (1:3, 0:6, 6:4, 5:3)
Romania and Turkiye kept their spots in the Elite Division with today’s wins, while Ukraine and Georgia are relegated to Division 1 for the next edition of the European U18 Championsips.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 22 (all times are CET)
Quarterfinals: Montenegro – France (15:00), Croatia – Greece (16:30), Hungary – Serbia (18:00), Italy – Spain (19:30).
9th-12th place, classification semifinals: Netherlands – Germany (11:00), Poland – Malta (12:30)
13th-place match: Romania – Turkiye (09.30), 15th-place match: Ukraine – Georgia (08:00).
2025 European U18 Championships, Division 1, Rio Major, Day 4
Crossover round: Slovakia – Denmark 21:4, Switzerland – Czech Republic 9:8, Lithuania – Great Britain 19:14.
Classification 9th – 13th place: Ireland – Austria 12:15
Quarterfinals (August 22): Moldova – Belgium, Israel – Slovakia, Portugal – Switzerland, Bulgaria – Lithuania.
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