Israel's under-18 handball team opened its European Championship campaign in Belgrade with heartbreak on Wednesday, leading for most of the match before fading to a 33-29 defeat to Croatia, ONE reported.
The game, the first of Group C at the M18 EHF EURO 2026, is being staged across three Belgrade venues from July 29 to August 9, with 24 nations competing for places at next year's IHF Men's Youth World Championship. Israel shares the group with Croatia, Czechia and Portugal.
For long spells it looked like Israel might spring the upset. Captain Yonatan Flach, the top scorer of the qualifying campaign, set the tone again, finishing the night with 14 goals and providing the score that decided the first half.
A goal at the buzzer from Flach put Israel two goals clear, 17-15, at the interval, capping a first half in which the Israeli side, coached by Dor Russo and Assaf Sitton, matched the more fancied Croatians blow for blow.
The contest tightened further after the break, with the sides level at 22-22 midway through the second half. That was as good as it got for Israel: Croatia found another gear in the 45th minute and grabbed their first lead of the match.
Israel refused to fold. A goal from Noam Levi pulled the gap back to a single point, 30-29, with the finish still in the balance, but Croatia's superior physicality in the closing stages proved decisive.
Croatia pulled clear in the final minutes to seal a 33-29 win, according to ONE's report.
Behind Flach, Rom Tuvias and Gav Dagni each scored four for Israel, with Roei Ganel, Tomer Michalis and Ido Malul contributing two apiece and Levi adding his one crucial strike.
Israel will look to open its account in the tournament on Thursday against the Czech Republic, with a Group C campaign already needing a response after the opening setback.
