Croatia needed a win to progress further, but their poor start to the game and too many missed clear shots hampered any chances for a potential comeback, even though they had their shining moment in the second half.
GROUP D
Croatia vs Switzerland 22:26 (10:16)
- Player of the Match, presented by Grundfos Lea Schüpbach was Switzerland's driving force in the first half, having saved eight out of 18 Croatian attempts
- good defensive actions resulted in fast breaks and easy goals, pushing Switzerland first to a 11:5 lead, later becoming a nine-goal advantage; Croatia were struggling and were left goalless for 11 minutes
- Croatia was trying to slow Switzerland down with a more aggressive defence, but they were only semi-successful, narrowing the gap to six by halftime
- the Croatians had a blistering start to the second half; Katja Vukovic's first goal in the competition halved the deficit (13:16) five minutes in
- the battle was on until the final buzzer — Croatia had a chance to narrow the gap to two, five minutes before the end, but a turnover resulted in Era Baumann's fast break which set a 24:20 lead, which proved to be decisive for the end result
- right back Klara Birtic and left back Tina Barišic both netted five for Croatia
Switzerland's breakthrough moment, Croatia's early exit
Switzerland’s debut at the Women’s EHF EURO two years ago ended after three games in the preliminary round, but they made history by securing their first-ever point against today’s opponent — Croatia. This time, they went one step further, defeating Croatia and earning a place in the main round for the first time.
Determined to leave their mark as co-hosts, Switzerland reached their first major objective. In Basel, they claimed two victories and put up a spirited fight in their best-ever performance against Denmark. In the crucial game against Croatia, players like Era Baumann and Tabea Schmid played pivotal roles, scoring six in Switzerland's first win against Croatia.
Croatia came to the Women's EHF EURO 2024 with a rejuvenated squad ready to set the base for the future. Despite their hopes of reaching the main round, they secured only a single point and are heading home. While their defence showed promise, led by goalkeeper Lucija Bešen, the attack struggled, with only backcourt players managing somewhat consistent scoring efficiency. This marks the first time since 2018 that Croatia failed to advance past the preliminary stage, and it is also their eighth early exit, following similar outcomes in 1994, 1996, 2004, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018.
It's crazy. I mean, we played here at home for our fans, and they are just crazy. It's amazing. I don't know. I have to rest a bit to think about what just happened.
I'm just really disappointed right now. I think we didn't do our best and this is a little bit painful. I think we could play better, and we could win this game, but this wasn't the case, so I’m really disappointed.
