Italy and Hungary will face off in the final of the 2025 Elite Men’s European U16 Championships in Istanbul, after both nations came through thrilling semifinals on Day 6 of the tournament.
Italy edged Montenegro 13–12 in a fiercely contested battle, while Hungary overcame Croatia 16–14 in a nerve-racking penalty shootout.
Italy’s narrow win keeps perfect run alive
Italy booked their place in the final with a one-goal victory over Montenegro, maintaining their unbeaten record at the tournament. After falling behind early, the Azzurri recovered quickly and held a 12–10 lead going into the final quarter. Montenegro struck twice in 47 seconds to tie the game once again, but with just over two minutes to play, Chianese scored his fourth goal of the match on a man-up to give Italy the lead for good. Montenegro pushed until the end, but Italy held firm to seal their spot in the gold-medal match.
Hungary edge Croatia on penalties
Hungary continued their impressive turnaround in the tournament, winning a high-quality semifinal against Croatia in dramatic fashion. Hungary had the better of the first half, leading 9–7 at the break, but Croatia rallied through six goals from Damir Burazin to take an 11–9 lead. Hungary responded with two late goals to send the game to penalties. In the shootout, Hungary held their nerve to win 5–3 and book a place in the final—despite having lost both of their opening group games.
Semifinal Results – Istanbul (Elite Division)
- Italy 13–12 Montenegro (6:5, 3:3, 3:2, 1:2)
- Hungary 16–14 Croatia (5:2, 4:5, 0:3, 2:1, PSO 5:3)
Classification Matches – Istanbul
5th–8th Place Semifinals
- Türkiye 11–17 Spain
- Greece 19–18 Serbia (PSO 5:4)
9th Place Match
- Netherlands 9–17 Germany
11th Place Match
- Romania 10–7 Georgia
13th–15th Place Group (Round 2)
- Moldova 13–10 Poland
- Malta bye
Standings: 1. Moldova 3 pts (1 game), 2. Poland 3 pts (2 games), 3. Malta 0 pts (1 game)
Division 1 – Ljubljana (Promotion Playoffs)
In Division 1, Bulgaria and France reached the final in Ljubljana—securing promotion to the Elite Division at the next U16 European Championships.
Semifinals
- Bulgaria 11–8 Bosnia & Herzegovina
- France 16–9 Ukraine
5th–8th Place Semifinals
- Slovenia 12–11 Lithuania
- Switzerland 9–7 Cyprus
9th–12th Place Semifinals
- Slovakia 25–2 Latvia
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