Serbia and Romania continued winning in the groups of Division 2 at the Men’s European Championships in Croatia.
Serbia convincingly beat Germany 14:6 in Group C in Zagreb, while Romania defeated Slovenia 13:5 in Group D in Dubrovnik.
Both today’s matches in the “Gruz pool” in Dubrovnik were one-sided contests. The Netherlands trashed Slovakia (17:6) in the second match of Round 2 in Group D.
But, the first match of the day in Zagreb was a big thriller. Malta defeated Israel 13:11 after staging a remarkable comeback.
As for the standings, it is highly likely that Serbia will finish at the top of Group C ahead of Germany.
Romania needs just one point against Slovakia to maintain its first-place position in Dubrovnik, and given their recent victory, this seems like a likely outcome. Finally, with their win today, the Netherlands have practically secured a spot in the eighth-finals.
2024 European Men’s Championships (January 4 – 16), Day 4
Group C (Zagreb)
Serbia – Germany 14:6 (3:2, 5:2, 2:2, 4:0)
Serbia: Radulovic 4, Mandic 3, Vico 2, N.Jaksic 2, S.Rasovic 1, Randjelovic 1, Ubovic 1.
Germany:Scheutze 2, Strelezkij 2, Schipper 2.
The Germans kept pace with the Olympic champion for almost the entire first quarter. They leveled at 1:1 and 2:2. Three seconds before the first break, Marko Radulovic scored to make it 3:2, and in the following three quarters, Serbia consistently held the lead. Vico and Mandic opened the third period with goals for 5:2. Despite efforts from the German team, they couldn’t catch up to the Serbian team. Serbia controlled the game throughout, securing a four-goal lead by halftime (8:4) and achieving a convincing victory with four goals in the last quarter.
Strahinja Rasovic (SRB) Photo by Istvan Derencsenyi/European Aquatics
Serbia played a solid defense from start to finish, providing numerous counter-attack opportunities, from which they scored four goals.
Malta – Israel 13:11 (2:5, 3:3, 3:2, 5:1)
Malta: Gialanze 4, Cutajar 3,Muscat 2, Abela 2, N.Zammit 2.
Israel: Gros 4, Schlein 2, Rendler 2, Begin 1, Koter 1, Grundlyand 1.
Malta made a big comeback and emerged victorious against Israel in a match marked by two violent fouls leading to four-minute exclusions. The significance of the second red card played a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the match in which Israel was almost always in front.
Israel was three steps ahead after the first quarter (5:2) and was on the right track. In the 10th minute, Malta’s Mark Castillo was excluded for a violent foul, and Israel got a penalty throw and a man-up in the following four minutes. However, the Israelis didn’t make a big difference during these four minutes of playing with an extra player. After the exclusion expired, Israel had a four-goal lead (7:3). Malta halved the deficit with two quick goals, but Israel’s Gros gave his team an 8:5 lead two seconds before the middle break.
Muscat (MLT) and Schein (ISR) Photo: Istvan Derencsenyi/European Aquatics
Malta was coming back step-by-step and caught up with the rival at the finish of the quarter. Leftie Nikolai Zammit leveled at 11:11 with 01:44 minutes left on the clock.
Still, Israel had a chance to regain a lead and secure a win. It earned a man-up at 00:41. But just six seconds later, Israel’s Fotin was red-carded because of a foul in front of Malta’s goal. After a VAR review, the referees whistled a violent foul. Nobody could replace Fotin , but the most important in this situation was that Malta got a penalty shot. Muscat took responsibility. He found the net from the 5m line for 12:11. Israel lost the ball in its last possession. Cutajar beat the buzzer to set the final score.
Standings: 1. Serbia 6, 2. Germany 3, 3. Malta 3, 4. Israel 0.
Group D (Dubrovnik)
Romania – Slovenia 13:5 (6:1, 2:2, 2:1, 3:1)
Romania: Georgescu 3, Lutescu 2, Prioteasa 2, Colodrovschi 2, Antipa 1, Belenyesi 1, Tepelus 1, Bota 1.
Slovenia: Popovic 1,Stefanovic 1, Pusavec 1, Seljak 1, Kadivec 1.
Romania didn’t need much time to prove who the favorite was. The Romanians rushed to a 5:0 lead in the first five minutes of the game. That series set the tone of the match. Romania widened the distance to six in the second quarter (8:2). Slovenia consolidated its defense but couldn’t get close to its rival. Romania controlled the match. Their defense was up to the task and prevented action goals. Actually, Slovenia managed to score only one action goal; the remaining four were with a power-play advantage.
Lars ten Broek (NED) Photo: European Aquatics / Bozo Radic / CROPIX
Slovakia – Netherlands 6:17 (1:5, 3:4, 2:3, 0:5)
Slovakia: Balaz 3, Caraj 2, Kaid 1,
Netherlands: Ten Broek 4, Koopman 3, Van der Weijden 3, Te Riele 2, De Weerd 2, Van den Burg 1, Kastrop 1, Van Ijperen 1, Van der
Today’s second match in Dubrovnik was very similar to the first one. Everything was decided before the middle break.
The Netherlands got off to a flying start and jumped to an 8:1 lead in the first 12 minutes. The Slovaks’ attacks were harmless in the first quarter and a half. Then, they netted three goals in less than two minutes (4:8), but the Dutch responded with four for a commanding 12:4 lead in the middle of the third period. The Dutch bounced back after Friday’s loss to Romania with a comfortable 11-goal win.
Standings: 1. Romania 6, 2. Netherlands 3, 3. Slovakia 3, 4. Slovenia 0.
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