Croatia made it into the semi-finals of the Handball World Cup with a miracle. Domagoj Duvnjak still has the chance to achieve his last open goal in a great career.
Domagoj Duvnjak is beyond all handball doubt. When HSV Hamburg was still a big number in the early 2010, it was largely due to it. The Croatian was considered the best handball player in the world (and was also officially elected in 2013 as such), the THW Kiel, then the largest club in the world, could not help but to get it to the north of the country for a lot of money. Duvnjak played 469 games in the Bundesliga in 15 years and scored 1578 goals.
Only one title with Croatia is still missing
Among other things, the back room player was five times German and three times Croatian champion, world handball player, with the national team Vice-World and three times Vice European champion, Olympic Bronze medalist. A title with his home country is the only big goal that he has not yet been able to achieve. Duvnjak wants to do that now – but even if it doesn’t work, this World Cup 2025 will be remembered as one of the most incredible tournament of his career.
Before the first game, the 36-year-old announced that after the home World Cup, the national team ended. Two weeks later, the international career seemed to be over in the preliminary round due to a calf injury from the game against Argentina (33:18). Duvnjak made it back, he was back in the main round – very far from his actual class, but there are athletes where the mere presence is already a big win.
“Magical things” extend Duvnjak’s Croatia career
But Duvnjak was not only there, he was decisively involved when something he had not yet experienced. “I have no idea how we got through there. That is one of the craziest games in my career”said the THW Kiel professional after 31:30 in the quarter -finals against Hungary.
Five minutes before the end, Croatia had returned with four goals, Duvnjak was part of the turn and took out the seven meter to the 29:30 – after that he limp and could hardly get up, after the final whistle he could hardly grasp his luck.
“The end of the game was incredible, magical things happened”said his coach Dagur Sigurdsson. Accordingly, the mood in the hall was, the people in Zagreb celebrated their men in blue-red white, it was minutes of bliss. Duvnjak and Co. now also need this magic against the second semi -finalist, who has made it in a similarly dramatic way.
France-Held Karabatic: “Croatia vibrates for his team”
France sent the Egyptian handball players into a valley of tears. Shortly before the final whistle, they had equalized to 33:33 and chose the aid to take out the goalkeeper and set up an extra field. That helped at the front, but was punished at the back – Luka Karabatic, like Duvnjak 36 years old, threw the ball from the center circle directly into the goal, 0.3 seconds before the siren he crossed the line.
“These are classics in world handball, games with enormous intensity. We will be in a handball country that vibrates for his team. You will play with a lot of passion”said Karabatic before the duel against host Croatia in Zagreb. And his trainer Guillaume Guille also has great respect for the atmosphere: “The mood will be against us. After experiencing magical moments, it will be a great challenge to play against Croatia under such conditions.”
For Duvnjak it will be the penultimate game of his national team career, the last in your own country. Then the Croatians travel to Oslo, where the game for third place and the final take place on Sunday. The Thursday evening (8.30 p.m., in the live ticker on Sportschau.de) will be a worthy farewell so shortly after an event that the handball fans will speak in his country for a very long time. Even more worthy – especially from his point of view and that of his compatriots – it would be if the captain ceded with the World Cup title. To do this, he summarizes the magic of Zagreb again.