Sports Injustice in Cologne

France defeated Croatia 21-18 casting us out in quarterfinals from further competition after seven winnings in a row.

France stopped the best handball players in the world in the quarterfinals. The other name but true sports injustice cannot be used for what happened to the Croatian handball team in Cologne. The competition system, which was in favour of the Germans, forced Croatians out after seven unbelievable victories because of one defeat. 

It was the hardest game for our players at the World Championship, definitely. Croatia started the game very well in front of 19,000 viewers in Cologne. We defended ourselves in the first attack and Pero Metlicic brought us to a lead. A goal after goal, and Jerkovic, who started at the goal, marked three defences. The excellent start of our goalkeeper was stopped in the 5^th minute when a ball hit him to the head and he did not go in again.

Until the 8^th minute and result 3-3, our players follow the French rhythm. In the 9^th minute his first moments on the World Championship gets Davor Dominikovic. Croatia cannot find a solution for the fantastic 5-1 defence of the Tricolours and everything stops at individual attempts, first of all Balic, one to one. The French are very tough in the defence, and the Russian referee duo allowed Balic in the 10^th minute to stay on the floor after he was hit to the head by Omeyer’s knee. Vukovic replaced him for seven minutes and in the 17^th minute, the French are three goals away.

Cervar calls for time-out, puts recovered Balic into the game. Finally, the Croats succeed to hit a goal and six minutes before the end, it was levelled at 8-8. Alilovic replaces Jerkovic and he is brilliant in keeping the result, so till the end he collects seven defences. Three minutes before the end Vori hits for the lead, but the French take over and at halftime the score was 10-9. Metlicic became the next French victim in the last minute, so he also was on the floor for few minutes after a harsh attack.

The second half starts better, taking the leadership with Lackovic and Vori’s goals, 11-10. The game turns to be a giant fight of two opponents. We were good till the 40^th minute, it was 12-12. Vori fell down after a brutal start, so he needs medical attention. From now on, we loose our rhythm; the French run away more and more. Balic cannot do everything by himself, and the fantastic Omeyer defends Lackovic’s long-ranged hits so easily. The French goalkeeper defeated us finally with his 21 defences. Our Alilovic was not so bad with 16, but the Croatian attack was so static and simply non-functional.

Except for bad attack, Abalo also contributed to our defeat with his seven out of eight scores in the second half, mostly from the wing. In the crucial moments of the game, the referees give Dominikovic a red card and Croatia plays with two players less, and France is in lead with two goals. Nikola Karabatic, a bird of our feather, scores five goals in the end. Balic was the best of our players with five goals. Only sorrow and blues remain because all the victories up to now mean nothing due to this unfair system of competition.

The cowboys play for the fifth place on Thursday at 15:00 with Spain, which was defeated by Germany. The home players will play with France, and in the second semi-final Poland, that beat the Russians, plays with Denmark that was better than Island, after an extra-time.

Lino Cervar, the coach: -We were terribly static, they were better, we have to acknowledge it. I will always stand by my players, notwithstanding their decisions. We did not put in enough to win, we did not put our heart in it, and I am very sorry for that. The red card to Dominikovc was not a breaking point of the game, nor did it change things a lot. Alilovic and Omeyer were brilliant today, but we did not know how to take advantage of it. We did not do a good defence to their 1 to 1. They were patient and they got us intelligently. I do not like to talk about some things, but the referees were not at their best. The attack was very bad and that drove us into the defeat. I am very sorry, but this is sports. Psychologically, we came into the game very badly, but we had a chance to take away early. The problem today was in that they enforced their rhythm, and we could not change it. The heart was stronger than the head, but what is done, is done. Life goes on and we have to fight to be the fifth in the championship.

Ivano Balic: -You saw everything, it was a tough game decided by the goalkeepers. We entered very badly and we did not take a chance to run away early. We lost the balls in the attacks and by the way, Omeyer kept his goal. Everything bad came today, and the gentlemen in yellow were disastrous. The defeat is a part of sports and life goes on. Now, we have to fight for the fifth place.