Croatia in the semi-finals of the European Handball Championship, coach Babić thanked Our Lady of Međugorje

Under the leadership of Željko Babić, the Croatian handball players performed a miracle in Krakow, defeating Poland by a 14-goal margin of 37:23 (they needed 11) and securing a spot in the semi-finals of the European Championship, writes the Bosnian news agency Patria.

An unprecedented sensation, a match that will certainly go down in the history of both the Croatian national team and this sport, brought joy to all Croats who cheered on their favourites, including Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, who came onto the court after the victory to greet the winners in the national team jersey.

Croatia won the first half 15-10, and in the first ten minutes of the second half, with an 8-0 run, the handball players took a 23-10 lead and began to believe in a miracle. In the 46th minute, Croatia led 30-13, and managed to preserve the victory against the powerless Poles until the end.

For Croatia, the best were Manuel Štrlek with 11 goals, Marino Marić scored 7, and Zlatko Horvat five goals, while goalkeeper Ivan Stevanović had 13 saves.

Interestingly, Croatian coach Željko Babić after the magnificent victory also thanked Our Lady of Međugorje, whom he had prayed to for the victory of his players.