The semifinals of the 2025 European U18 Championships in Oradea are set: Montenegro, Greece, Serbia, and Italy will battle for a place in the gold-medal match.
The headline result came from Serbia, who stunned Hungary 14:13 in a thriller. Both teams entered the tournament as medal favourites, but their paths couldn’t have been more different. Hungary dominated the group stage with three wins, while Serbia stumbled with three losses. Yet when it mattered most, the Serbs found another gear and eliminated the Group A leaders.
Greece also defied early setbacks. After a rocky group stage, the Greeks held their nerve to edge Croatia 17:16 in one of the most entertaining matches of the day.
The other two quarterfinals were more straightforward. Montenegro – still unbeaten in Oradea – stormed past France 21:11, while Italy controlled its game against Spain, winning 11:6.
Tomorrow’s semifinals (CET):
- Italy vs Montenegro (18:00)
- Serbia vs Greece (19:30)
Quarterfinal results
- Montenegro – France 21:11 (3:1, 8:4, 7:1, 3:5)
- Croatia – Greece 16:17 (4:4, 5:5, 4:4, 3:4)
- Hungary – Serbia 13:14 (3:3, 4:4, 2:3, 4:4)
- Italy – Spain 11:6 (3:1, 2:2, 3:2, 3:1)
Montenegro cruise past France
France, already proud of its quarterfinal achievement, even opened the scoring, but Montenegro’s response was ruthless. A 5:0 run put them firmly in control, and by halftime the score read 13:5. The Montenegrins never looked back, rotating heavily in the last quarter to preserve energy.
Gojković (MNE) and Novacek (FRA) top scored with five goals each.
Greece edge Croatia in a classic
The Greece–Croatia clash was pure drama. Neither side ever led by more than one until the closing stages. Ante Jerković was unstoppable for Croatia, scoring seven, but Greece always found a reply.
With 2:35 left, Jerković levelled at 16:16, only for Dimitrios Sarros to fire Greece ahead again. Croatia had the last possession but goalkeeper Beredes pulled off a decisive save to send Greece into the semifinals.
Serbia stun Hungary
After a poor group stage, Serbia produced their best performance of the tournament to knock out Hungary.
The game was tight throughout, but Serbia’s ability to strike late in each quarter proved decisive. In the fourth, quick goals from Nesković and Lazić gave them a 14:12 lead. Despite Mor Benedek’s incredible seven-goal haul for Hungary, Serbia held on for a famous 14:13 win.
Vojinović (4) and Lazić (3) led Serbia’s scoring.
Italy too strong for Spain
Italy built its win on defensive solidity. After edging the first half, a 4:0 burst across the third quarter opened an 8:3 gap. Spain briefly threatened a comeback, closing to 6:8, but the Italians shut the door and pulled away again.
Alessandrini finished with three goals as Italy cruised 11:6.
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