Hungary Defeats Croatia 19:7 at U20 European Championship
Croatia's U20 women's water polo team put up a good fight in the first half, but Hungary showed their strength in the second half, winning by a 12-goal margin.
Croatia's U20 women's water polo team put up a good fight in the first half, but Hungary showed their strength in the second half, winning by a 12-goal margin.
Croatia's U20 women's water polo team suffered a convincing defeat in the second round of the European Championship in Oeiras, Portugal. Hungary won 19:7, with the key difference made in the second half, as reported by Sportske novosti.
Head coach Mia Šimunić had emphasized before the tournament that Croatia was again the youngest team in the competition, with two 14-year-olds in the squad, and that they could match the strongest teams in the first part of the match. This proved true in the clash with the favored Hungarians.
Hungary set the pace from the start and led 4:0 by two minutes before the end of the first quarter. However, Croatia did not give up. Ria Glas, a player from Brođanka and Mladost, scored two goals to reduce the deficit to 4:2 by the end of the first period.
Midway through the second quarter, Hungary pulled ahead again to 7:2, but a great response from the Croatian girls followed. Goals from Alka Lulić, Jelena Butić, and Neli Janković from penalty shots brought Croatia back into the game, and they went into halftime with a respectable 7:5 scoreline.
However, the third quarter saw a complete shift in momentum. Hungary won that period 6:1 and led 13:6 going into the final quarter. The lead only grew from there, with the last two quarters both ending 6:1 in Hungary's favor.
Goals for Croatia were scored by Ria Glas (3), Nina Jazvin (1), Jelena Butić (1), Alka Lulić (1), and Neli Janković (1).
In the other match of Round 2 in Group B, the Netherlands routed France 28:6. Croatia will face the Netherlands in the third round on Monday, August 3, 2026, at 6 PM Croatian time.
