The crossover matches at the European Elite U18 Championships produced plenty of action, but only one team from Sub-division 2 broke through. France edged the Netherlands in the day’s most dramatic encounter to clinch a quarterfinal berth — and promotion to Sub-division 1 for the next edition of the tournament.

France secures historic promotion

France, dominant throughout Group D, continued its impressive form with a nail-biting 12:11 win over the Netherlands. The Dutch started better, leading 3:2 after 10 minutes, but France seized control with a 3:0 run and stretched the lead to 8:4 midway through the third.

The Netherlands hit back with a spirited 5:2 surge, narrowing the gap to 9:10. France responded with two crucial goals to restore a three-goal cushion (12:9) and held firm despite a late Dutch rally. The final goal came just three seconds before the buzzer, too late to change the outcome.

Agrefilo led the French with four goals, while Scroletti and Braise Fernande netted three apiece. De Zwart was the Dutch top scorer with three. With this victory, France guarantees a place among the best eight nations in Europe at the next U18 Championships.

Favorites cruise through

Elsewhere, the higher-ranked teams left no room for surprises:

• Greece 21–12 Poland
  Greece wasted no time, storming to a 4:0 lead in the opening minutes. Poland fought bravely, but the Greek attack was relentless. Angelopoulos (6) and Chatzis (5) led the scoring, while Grief netted four for Poland.
• Serbia 18–13 Malta
  Serbia overturned a slow start with a devastating 9:0 run to take a commanding 9:2 lead. Malta battled back late, but Serbia had already sealed the deal. Luigi Canepa scored four for Serbia, while Malta’s Dimech topped the chart with five.
• Spain 14–7 Germany
  Spain combined sharp offense with a disciplined defense, conceding only three goals in the first three quarters. Soler and Comabella each scored three, while a 6:0 run across the second and third periods put the game beyond reach.

Quarterfinals set (Friday, CET times)

• Montenegro vs France (15:00)
• Croatia vs Greece (16:30)
• Hungary vs Serbia (18:00)
• Italy vs Spain (19:30)

Classification matches

13th–16th place semifinals

• Georgia – Turkiye 8:11
• Ukraine – Romania 12:16

With these results, Romania and Turkiye stay in the Elite Division, while Ukraine and Georgia are relegated to Division 1.

Friday schedule:

• 13th place: Romania vs Turkiye (09:30)
• 15th place: Ukraine vs Georgia (08:00)
• 9th–12th place semifinals: Netherlands vs Germany (11:00), Poland vs Malta (12:30)

Division 1 results (Rio Maior, Day 4)

• Slovakia – Denmark 21:4
• Switzerland – Czech Republic 9:8
• Lithuania – Great Britain 19:14
• Ireland – Austria 12:15 (9th–13th place classification)