Handball European Championship: Croatia shock: European Championship for Duvnjak run?

The opening victory of host Croatia was overshadowed by Captain Domagoj Duvnjak’s renewed injury. The Kiel superstar threatens to fail for the entire European Championship.

The witch’s cauldron of Split suddenly fell silent. The host Croatia celebrated a wild handball party, led against the Serbian arch-rival unassailable for a long time, when Domagoj Duvnjak collapsed.

The Croatian captain, a superstar from THW Kiel and the hope of an entire nation, lay on the floor of the hall and held his right calf with a painful distorted face.

“I’m worried,”said Croatia coach Lino Cervar with a serious face. The joy of the glittering 32:22 victory at the start of the European Championship quickly faded into the background.

The severity of the muscle injury, which he sustained three and a half minutes before the end of the match without an opponent’s intervention, had not yet been determined on Saturday morning, but Duvnjak will certainly miss the rest of the preliminary round. In the worst case even the tournament is over.

For seven long months the Kieler Rückraumspieler had been out of action due to a knee injury and had celebrated his comeback only in December. Duvnjak is our best player, he is the boss of the attack and I don’t want to believe that we lost him,”said Jakov Gojun, Croatia’s defensive chief Jakov Gojun of the Foxes Berlin.

Duvnjak was full of anticipation and motivation when he started into the European Championship. For months he had been struggling in rehabilitation for his big dream, for the mission gold at the European Championship in his home country Croatia:”Our whole country wants to win, but expects at least one medal,”he said before the tournament.

Duvnjak proved his invaluable value for a team at THW Kiel. Without his top player, the German record holder slipped into crisis.

It was not until the beginning of December, 228 days after the patella tendon surgery on the left knee, that Duvnjak celebrated his return to the handball field. Since then, Kiel has won five times in a row, Duvnjak seemed ready for the European Championship.

Club coach Alfred Gislason had publicly advised his protégé to give up the European Championship:”It would be the smartest thing for everyone involved if he didn’t play at the European Championships,”Gislason said in anticipation of the tournament, concerned about his leader.

But Duvnjak was determined to fulfil his dream of winning his first international title at home. This dream is now hanging by a thread.

“I don’t want to predict anything,”said Croatia’s right-wing outsider Zlatko Horvat,”but it was not just a normal cramp. We hope Dule returns as soon as possible.”