Italy, Hungary, Spain and Montenegro recorded victories in the opening round of Sub-division 1 of the European U20 Championships Elite Division, which began today in Varna, Bulgaria.
All games were exciting, but the real dramas were the encounters Serbia-Spain and Hungary-Greece. Spain and Hungary won two points each after penalty shootouts.
All teams in the top sub-division will compete for medals after the group stage, even if they do not earn any points during the first phase. Therefore, losses in this stage are not very painful. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, while the remaining four will have another opportunity in the crossover round.
Italy, led by De Simone (5 goals), beat Croatia 16:13 in the first game in Group A. There were several lead changes, and the score was tied many times throughout the game. Italy entered the final period leading 11:10. The Croats leveled at 11:11 early in the fourth period. Then, Italy netted two quick back-to-back goals (13:11). Croatia chased its rival, halving the gam twice (12:13 and 13:14), but Italy secured a win with two unanswered goals in the final 84 seconds.
Hungary earned two points with a penalty shootout victory over Greece. The Greeks held a 14:13 advantage after three periods. Both teams tightened defenses in the fourth period. But, the Hungarians’ attack worked better and they went ahead – 15:14 in the 31st minute. Immediately after Hungary’s 15th goal, Greece scored its only one in the fourth quarter, leveling at 15:15. There were no further goals, so the winner was decided after seven rounds of a penalty shootout, with Hungary winning 21:20
The competition in Group B kicked off with Montenegro’s 16:13 victory over Germany. Danilo Stupar played a key role with five goals. Montenegro got off to an excellent start, taking a 5:0 lead in the first six minutes. However, Germany didn’t let the match turn into a lopsided contest and proved it deserved a spot in Sub-division 1. The Germans cut their deficit to one goal already in the 2nd period (7:8) and again in the third quarter (8:9 and 10:11), but they didn’t manage to equalize.
Spain defeated Serbia in the last match of the day. Both teams had big ups and downs. The Spaniards were two steps ahead of the Serbs in the 6th minute (3:1). But, Serbia started dominating in the following 15 minutes. The Serbs went on a 8:2 run, building a big 9:5 lead late into the third period. But, the battle wasn’t over yet. Spain responded with a 4:1 series and came very close (9:10) with three minutes to go. In the final three minutes, the teams exchanged goals, and Serbia came close to winning. However, just two seconds before the buzzer, Tomas Perrone scored during a man-up situation, marking his sixth goal and tying the game at 12:12. The Spaniards maintained their momentum during the penalty shootout, ultimately securing a 16:14 victory.
Host Bulgaria, Turkiye, Netherlands and Romania opened their campaign in Sub-division 2 with convincing wins.
2026 European U20 Championships, Elite Division, Varna, Day 1
Sub-division 1
Group A
Croatia – Italy 13:16 (5:5, 3:3, 2:3, 3:5)
Hungary – Greece 21:20 (3:2, 5:6, 5:6, 2:1, PSO 6:5)
Group B
Montenegro – Germany 16:13 (5:2, 3:5, 4:3, 4:3)
Spain – Serbia 16:14 (3:3, 2:3, 1:4, 6:2, PSO 4:2)
Sub-division 2
Group C
Turkiye – France 15:8 (5:4, 5:1, 3:0, 2:3)
Bulgaria – Slovenia 17:11 (2:3, 5:3, 5:2, 5:3)
Group D
Netherlands – Malta 18:12 (6:3, 4:3, 3:2, 5:4)
Romania – Czech Republic 21:7 (6:1, 5:3, 4:2, 6:1)
More articles about the European Men’s Junior Championships
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