As the World Championship in Germany and Denmark draws to a close, the last SEHA country finished the campaign with a loss in the 5th place match. Even though Croatia defeated both European and World champions during their run, they will have to settle for 6th place, which takes them to qualifiers for Olympic Games 2020 in Tokyo, which was the main goal. Earlier today, Spain beat Egypt to finish 7th in the competition. Former Vardar player Joan Canellas scored 9 goals for Spain, as they beat Egypt led by former Vardar assistant coach David Davis. Egypt will host the World Championship in 2021, and this was a fantastic result for them

5th place match: Croatia – Sweden 28:34 (13:16)

A fantastic start for Sweden in this match saw them grab the lead from the very start, never looking back. Their offense was extremely efficient and productive, scoring goal after goal in both halves. The lead jumped to +6 in the first half, but Croatia managed to pull it back even to -2. Lino Cervar’s team did not bring the same flair they had against France and even Germany and will have to finish the tournament with a loss. Nexe’s Marin Sipic had another terrific match with 4/4. Vardar’s Igor Karacic scored 3 goals, while PPD Zagre’s trio Damir Bicanic (3), Zlatko Horvat (2) and David Mandic (2), combined for 7 goals. Ivan Vida and Lovro Jotic were not on the scoresheet. Zlatko Horvat ends the tournament as the team’s top scorer with 39 goals.

Tomorrow, we will get a new World champion. After a historically amazing performance against France, the final will see Denmark face Norway, who knocked out Germany in impressive fashion. France and Germany will battle for bronze.