Croatia wins shootout thriller, Italy, Hungary and Montenegro also start strong

The European U18 Championships opened with drama in Oradea, where Croatia overcame Spain in a penalty shootout to claim the first big victory of the Elite Division.

Croatia and Spain were inseparable after four quarters (11:11), sending the game to penalties. Goalkeeper Batos saved from Fernandez in the fourth round, before Kulas converted to seal a 16:14 win and two points for the Croats.

Elsewhere in Sub-division 1, Italy looked sharp in a 14:9 win over Greece, while Hungary was tested but eventually pulled away from the Netherlands 15:11. Montenegro narrowly edged Balkan rivals Serbia 9:8 thanks to a decisive run of goals in the middle two periods.

In Sub-division 2, Turkiye celebrated a narrow 12:11 win over Romania, while France, Malta and Germany all recorded convincing victories.

2025 European U18 Championships, Elite Division – Oradea, Day 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)

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)

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)

Moldova, Israel and Great Britain begin with wins as power outage stops Switzerland–Denmark

In Division 1, hosted in Rio Maior, Moldova secured the first victory of the day with a 15:11 win over Slovakia in Group A.

Bulgaria showed no mercy in Group B, overwhelming Ireland 28:8. The second game of the group, Switzerland vs Denmark, was abandoned after just 6:22 minutes of play due to a regional power outage. Denmark led 1:0 when the lights went out, leaving no chance to resume the game. Officials confirmed that the match will continue tomorrow.

In Group C, Israel edged Belgium 14:12 in a tight battle, while Great Britain ran out comfortable 20:12 winners over Austria. Group D did not feature any matches, with Lithuania and Portugal scheduled to begin later.