The selector of the Croatian national team, Lino Cervar, did not hide his satisfaction after the victory of his team over Qatar, which ensured the transfer of three points to the second phase of the World Cup in Egypt.
– We should congratulate the players on the great victory because it was played under circumstances that were not in our favor. I congratulate them on the fight, in the decisive moments, even the younger players entered the game, Martinović, Jaganjac and Šarac showed their hearts when it was decided. This is a victory of courage and perseverance and that makes me happy, but on the other hand it is nothing yet, there are still many challenges ahead of us. However, the experience gained in such fights is invaluable and I think that in the future we can put together a very good team – the first reaction of Cervar.
In the second round, Croatia will play against Bahrain, Argentina and Denmark,
-It won’t be easy, but we have to sit down and rest now because it was hard to wait for this game. The day before it was raining, we couldn’t train because we didn’t want to travel 120 km for training, so we practiced in the apartment and did tactical preparation with bottles and chairs. The boys wanted us to win this game and they invested a lot of effort, there were also mistakes, but whoever understands handball, knows that they should be congratulated. One of the big questions is whether Igor Karačić will play in the second round…
– I will think about it more, I would most like everyone to come ready, but that is impossible. But that’s why this is an opportunity for younger players. They showed courage and fearlessness. Look at Martinović who misses, so he finds the strength and the loop for another shot, and that is the characteristic of a winner – concluded the experienced strategist.
Brestovac: The goal has been achieved, we will show more without pressure on our backs After two convincing defeats by Sweden and Egypt, the Macedonian national team defeated the Chilean team in the decisive match for placement in the next phase, so in the second round, without transferred points, they will play against Slovenia, Russia and Belarus.
The selector Danilo Brestovac pointed out that the primary goal was achieved, and that, due to the specific situation and various circumstances, the Macedonian team will play easier in the continuation of the competition.
– We cannot compare this game against Chile with the two preparatory ones we played before the championship, because we saw something new in the last one. We are already used to the conditions in Egypt, constant testing and numerous restrictions. Honestly, we doubted the victory over Chile, I was afraid of the team reaction after two convincing defeats, but we played this third duel quite well, on the wings of more experienced players and goalkeepers. When we draw the line and add everything up, it was one team victory.
Everyone gave their optimum at a given moment. I am very satisfied with certain players whom the public has finally started to trust, for example Kosteski, in whom we can get a wing at this championship for the next 10 years – said Brestovac, and added: – We also had reactions from Tankovski, Dimitrioski, Cvetan Kuzmanovski and Miševski, who are missing matches.
This duel with Chile could also be a sign of a step forward, to play the next three matches much more relaxed, because we have already achieved the goal, so we can play without much pressure. In that situation, we could impose ourselves with some quality, fighting spirit and discipline, to show something that we have not shown in the course of the tournament so far. These players have small minutes in their clubs. It carries positive pressure because they have an important role in the national team, but we have to be patient with them. Macedonian handball is in a specific situation – concluded Brestovac.
The next match, the Macedonian national team will play against Slovenia, on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
Vranješ: Huge relief, the guys showed character!
The Slovenian national team managed to defeat Belarus in the third round of the group stage and secure the transfer of two points to the next round of the competition, where they will play Macedonia, Egypt and Sweden, in an attempt to take one of the first two places leading to the quarterfinals.
Ljubomir Vranješ’s team was under the imperative of victory after the defeat by Russia, which visibly burdened them in the first 20 minutes. Although they were not even close to their maximum, they managed to turn minus six on the wings of Janc (8) and Dolenec (7) and overcome the unpleasant composition of Yuri Shevtsov.
-After this victory, I felt great relief, not only for myself but for the whole team. A great match is behind us, we were scared in the first 15 minutes, nothing went our way. We wanted too much, we were impatient in both defense and attack, until we finally found a rhythm in the game. The boys fought relentlessly for 60 minutes and showed character, which I congratulate them on – said the selector Ljubomir Vranješ.
