Coach: Goran Bobić

 

Key Players: Petra Marinović (Goalkeeper), Ema Guskić (Backcourt)

 

Qualification for Poland 2018: 13th – 2017 Women’s EHF EURO U17

 

History in Tournament: 2006: DNP, 2008: DNP, 2010: DNQ, 2012: 14th, 2014: 10th, 2016: 8th

 

Overview

Croatia qualified for just their fourth IHF Women’s Youth World Championship with the very last European qualification place available after finishing 13th at the 2017 Women’s EHF EURO U17 in Slovakia.

 

A disappointing tournament saw them lose five games in total, in the Preliminary Group to Denmark (22:20), Hungary (22:21) and Montenegro (23:17) and then in the Intermediate Round to Austria (29:23) and Netherlands (30:32).

 

However, in what would become a World Championship play-off mini-group, the 13-16 Placement Matches inspired Goran Bobić’s team who beat Czech Republic first (26:22) and then Austria 34:27 to book their ticket to Kielce.

 

Bobić has been in charge of the U18 team since 2017 and the 38-year-old combines this international role with his coaching job at WHC Ivanić, a club which competes in Croatian first division. Added to his coaching roles, Bobić is also a Physical and Health Education teacher in high school and has been a handball player for 30 years, having started as a six-year-old back in 1986.

 

He has singled-out key players Petra Marinović (goalkeeper) and Ema Guskić (back court player), who, even though they are amongst the younger ones in the team, are already playing a key role for Croatia.

 

“As a squad, we are all looking forward to taking part in a World Championship for the first time,” said Bobić ahead of the tournament. “It will be a nice and great experience for everyone and will help them for later development as a person and as a player.

 

“The group in Poland is very strong and interesting, but it is up to us to just give it our all in every game and after that, we will see where our possibilities are and what are our limits.”   

 

Bobic has taken his team to the coastal town of Zadar for a preparation camp ahead of Poland 2018.

 

Follow the Croatia team on the website, on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.           

 

Group at Poland 2018

Group B: Hungary, Denmark, Egypt, Sweden, Chile, Croatia

 

Games at Poland 2018

All times local

 

Tuesday 7 August: DEN-CRO (14:00)

Wednesday 8 August: CRO-EGY (20:00)

Friday 10 August: HUN-CRO (10:00)

Saturday 11 August: CRO-SWE (20:00)

Monday 13 August: CHI-CRO (10:00)

 

IHF & World Championship social media channels

Follow the Poland 2018 IHF Women’s Youth World Championship on our website, on IHF Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, as well as on the official event website, Facebook and Twitter channels.

 

Photo: Croatian Handball Federation