Co-host Slovenia celebrated a clear victory at the start of the main round of the European Handball Championship and kept the dream of the semifinals alive.
The Slovenians beat Croatia by 26:18 (13:12) in Ljubljana on Thursday. In Group 1, Slovenia is third with four points.
Denmark also started with a success. The Danes, who won bronze at the 2021 World Cup in Spain, won against Hungary after a feat of strength 29:27 (14:12) and also moved up to second place with four points. The Hungarians remain the pointless bottom of the group.
The top two teams in the two groups of six advance to the semi-finals. The third in the group is still playing for fifth place.
The German national team will start the main round against the Netherlands on Friday (6:00 p.m./Sportdeutschland.tv). With zero points, the chances of the DHB selection to make it into the last four are poor.