The first day of the European U18 Championship in Oradea brought the first drama with a penalty shootout at the end.
Croatia triumphed over Spain in the most thrilling match of the opening day. During regular time, both teams scored 11 goals. Croatia excelled in the penalty shootout, winning with a score of 16:14 and earning two points. In addition to Croatia, Italy, Hungary, and Montenegro also began the tournament in Sub-division 1 with victories.
Italy recorded a commanding 14:9 win over Greece. Hungary beat the Netherlands 15:11, while Montenegro edged out Serbia, 9:8.
As for Subdivision 2, only the encounter between Turkiye and Romania was interesting. The Turks earned a narrow 12:11 win.
2025 European U18 Championships, Elite Division, Oradea, Day 1
1 Sub-division 1
Group A
Greece – Italy 9: 14 (1:4, 2:4, 4:3, 2:3)
Hungary – Netherlands 15:11 (4:3, 4:2, 2:2, 5:4)
The Championships in Sub-division 1 began with a match between Italy and Greece. The Italians, coached by long-time Brescia captain Christian Presciutti, established a solid lead in the first half. Greece opened the scoring in the 3rd minute, but Italy responded with a 5:0 run, taking a 5:1 lead early in the second quarter. Throughout the first half, Greece managed to narrow the gap to three goals twice, but the Italians maintained control. They entered the second half with an 8:3 advantage and kept that lead until the final buzzer. Antonio Chianese, the MVP of the European U16 Championships held in Istanbul in July, led Italy with four goals, while Greece’s Dimitrios Chatzis was the top scorer of the match with five goals.
Hungary secured three points against the Netherlands as expected, but they faced a challenging game. The Dutch never took the lead but persistently chased the Hungarians. The teams traded goals until the score reached 4:4. Then, Hungary netted two quick goals, earning a two-goal advantage at 6:4. By the end of the first half, the favorites had extended the margin to 8:5. Midway through the third period, Hungary established a four-goal lead (10:6) and maintained it until 12:8.However, the Netherlands refused to give up and narrowed the deficit with two goals in just 19 seconds, making it 10:12. Still, Hungary responded with a 3:0 run, ultimately securing a comfortable 15-10 lead. Benedek from Hungary and Jukic from the Netherlands were the top scorers of the match, each scoring four goals.
Group B
Serbia – Montenegro 8:9 (3:2, 1:3, 1:3, 3:1)
Spain – Croatia 14:16 (3:3, 3:4, 2:1, 3:3, PSO 3:5)
Montenegro narrowly defeated Serbia thanks to a series of goals in the middle of the match. The Serbs held a 3:2 advantage after the first eight minutes. After a quick exchange of goals in the opening minutes of the second period, the Serbs were one step ahead, 4:3. That was followed by a crucial period of the game. Montenegro kept Serbia goalless for more than ten minutes, while going on a 4:0 run to earn a 7:4 lead. Before the final quarter, it stood 8:5. In the fourth period, Montenegro controlled the match and didn’t let Serbia come close. The Serbs narrowed the gap to one goal when it was too late, just three seconds from the end, to set the final score. Montenegro recorded a 9:8 win with three goals from Moracanin.
The most exciting game of the day was the last one – Croatia vs. Spain. During the first three quarters, the lead constantly changed sides, but neither team had a 2-goal advantage.
After 24 minutes of play, the teams were tied at 8:8. Soler gave Spain a 9:8 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Croats then tightened the defense and produced a 3:0 series in two and a half minutes (two goals from Jerkovic and one from Susic). Only two minutes and 38 seconds before the end, two goals separated the rivals for the first time – 11:9. Still, Croatia didn’t keep that advantage and three points. Spain leveled with 18 seconds remaining – 11:11. The Croats couldn’t regain a lead in their last possession, and the match entered the shootout.
Three players stood out in Croatia’s attack during the regular time. Jerkovic scored four, and Susic and Dujmic three goals each. Soler and Sanchez-Toril netted three goals each for Spain.
There were no misses in the first three rounds of penalty shots. In the fourth, Croatia’s goalie Batos saved a shot from Fernandez. At the other end of the pool, Kulas sealed Croatia’s victory – 16:14.
August 19 (all times are CET) – Group A: Netherlands – Italy (16:30), Greece – Hungary (19:30), Group B: Croatia – Montenegro (12:30), Serbia – Spain (15:00).
2 Sub-division 2
Group C
Turkiye – Romania 12:11 (2:3, 3:1, 3:5, 4:2)
France – Poland 26:9 (5:3, 8:2, 8:3, 5:1)
Group D
Malta – Ukraine 24:6 (6:1, 6:4, 4:1, 8:0)
Germany – Georgia 14:8 (5:1, 5:2, 3:0, 1:5)
Almost all matches of the opening round in Sub-division 2 were one-sided contests.
The only exception was an encounter between Turkiye and Romania, which produced several twists and turns. Romania headed into the final quarter with a slim 9:8 lead. The Turks turned the score in the first three minutes of the fourth period, 10:9, and the hosts had to chase the rival again. The Romanians leveled at 10:10 and 11:11, but they had no response after Pekcanli converted a man-up in the 30th minute to make it 12:11.
August 19 (all times are CET) – Group C: Turkiye – France (11:00), Poland – Romania (18:00), Group D: Ukraine – Georgia (08:00), Germany – Malta (09:30).
2025 European U18 Championships, Division 1, Rio Major, Day 1
Group A: Slovakia – Moldova 11:15. Czech Republic bye.
Group B: Bulgaria – Ireland 28:8, the match Switzerland – Denmark was stopped in the 1st quarter, due to an unexpected electricity breakdown in the region of Rio Maior and will be continued tomorrow.
Group C: Israel – Belgium 14:12, Great Britain – Austria 20:12.
Group D: The only two teams in this group, Lithuania and Portugal, didn’t play today.
