Spain defended their European Handball Federation EURO title, beating Croatia 22:20 in the final match of the European Handball Championship in Stockholm on Sunday.

This was the third final match for Croatia men’s handball team in European Championships, after 2008 and 2010. However, they have not yet managed to take the gold.

In the previous two finals, the Croatians were beaten by Denmark in 2008 in the championship held in Norway and by France in Austria two years later.

So far, Croatia has grabbed six medals at European handball championships – three silvers, in 2008 and 2010 and in 2020, and three bronzes, in 1994, 2012 and 2016.

The Croatian men’s handball team reached the European Handball Championship final in Stockholm after this past Friday they defeated Norway 29-28. The Croatian team won that match after two extra time periods.

On Saturday, the Norwegians beat Slovenia 28-20 to win the bronze.

Croatian captain Domagoj Duvnjak, who made the All-star Team for the 2018 European championship, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player this time around, while Igor Karacic made the All-star Team as the tournament’s best centre back.