Hungary and Montenegro both secured dramatic derby wins to finish the group stage of the European Elite U18 Championships in Oradea unbeaten, sealing first place in their groups and direct passage to the quarterfinals.
Croatia also celebrated on the final day of the group phase, beating Serbia and benefiting from Montenegro’s narrow victory over Spain to clinch the last automatic Top 8 ticket.
That means Italy, Hungary, Montenegro, and Croatia are all through to the quarterfinals, while Spain, Serbia, Greece, and the Netherlands head into the crossover round against the top four from Sub-division 2.
France and Malta completed the lower bracket with perfect records.
Group A: Hungary hold their nerve
Hungary – Italy 12:11 (3:4, 4:2, 3:5, 2:0)
Greece – Netherlands 16:13 (4:3, 4:0, 5:6, 3:4)
Hungary edged Italy in one of the most gripping games of the tournament so far. For three quarters the match was neck-and-neck, with Italy briefly opening a two-goal cushion late in the third through Alberto Constanzo’s quickfire double.
But while Italy fired 11 times in the first 24 minutes, they were shut out completely in the fourth. Hungary struck twice—Csanad converting a man-up and Rabb firing the decisive goal three minutes from time—to seal first place in the group.
There was still late drama. Italy missed a penalty in the dying second, with Tresa crashing his shot against the crossbar, sparking Hungarian celebrations.
Mor Benedek, son of the late Tibor Benedek, and Maxim Cseh led Hungary with three goals each, while Constanzo and Tresa scored four apiece for Italy.
In the battle for third, Greece pulled away from the Netherlands with a decisive 6:0 burst midway through the game. Ilias Angelopoulos was unstoppable, hitting six as Greece claimed a vital win to secure a crossover spot.
Group B: Montenegro break Spanish hearts, Croatia profit
Serbia – Croatia 9:13 (3:5, 2:4, 1:3, 3:1)
Spain – Montenegro 13:14 (3:4, 4:4, 4:3, 2:3)
Croatia took care of business against Serbia, racing into an 11:5 lead by the middle of the third quarter thanks to a six-goal haul from Maro Susic. Serbia battled on but never looked capable of a comeback, finishing bottom of the group without a point.
The Croats then turned into Montenegro’s biggest supporters. Only a Montenegrin victory over Spain would guarantee them a quarterfinal place—and that is exactly what happened.
Montenegro stormed to a 7:4 lead early in the second quarter, but Spain responded superbly, surging 10:9 ahead. The game swung back and forth, with the teams level at 11:11 heading into the final eight minutes.
Spain squandered three man-up opportunities late on, and with just 54 seconds left, Stupar struck from distance to make it 14:13. Montenegro survived Spain’s 7-on-6 gamble in the final seconds, sealing top spot and sending Croatia through alongside them.
Strahinja Gojkovic scored four for Montenegro, while Stupar added three. Millan top-scored for Spain with three.
Final standings: 1. Montenegro 9pts, 2. Croatia 5, 3. Spain 4, 4. Serbia 0.
Sub-division 2: Malta make history, France flawless
Group C
- Turkiye – Poland 11:14
- France – Romania 14:8
Poland shocked Turkiye in a fiery encounter, while France stormed to the top with a dominant win over Romania.
Final standings: 1. France 9, 2. Poland 3, 3. Turkiye 3, 4. Romania 3.
Group D
- Malta – Georgia 13:8
- Germany – Ukraine 19:8
Malta backed up their historic win over Germany with another strong display against Georgia to top Group D unbeaten. Germany recovered against Ukraine but had to settle for second place.
Final standings: 1. Malta 8, 2. Germany 7, 3. Georgia 3, 4. Ukraine 0.
What’s next
Crossover round (August 21)
- Spain v Germany
- Serbia v Malta
- Greece v Poland
- Netherlands v France
Quarterfinals (August 22)
- Montenegro v Netherlands/France
- Croatia v Greece/Poland
- Hungary v Serbia/Malta
- Italy v Spain/Germany