Serbia U18 handball team beats Italy and reaches main round

Serbia's under-18 handball team defeated Italy 32-18 and reached the main European Championship round. Italy led by six goals during the opening ten minutes. Serbia then changed the match through defence and a long scoring run.

Italy still led 12-11 at half-time. Serbia scored the next eleven goals without reply and moved clear. Stefan Stojinovic, Aleksandar Stojkovic and Filip Blecic finished with seven goals each.

Italy controlled the opening ten minutes

Italy began with greater accuracy and reached an 8-2 advantage. Serbia lost several early attacks and could not slow the Italian transition. The six-goal gap created immediate pressure.

The Serbian team did not remove the deficit with one quick action. Defence improved first, and the attack followed gradually. Italy's clear opportunities became less frequent as the half continued.

Serbia reached 10-10 near the end of the first period. That recovery returned the match to an even position. Italy still scored twice before the break and protected a one-goal lead.

The 12-11 half-time score did not reflect the difficult Serbian start. It showed how much the game had already changed. Serbia entered the dressing room within one possession of the lead.

An eleven-goal run decided the match

Serbia began the second half with its strongest period. The team scored eleven consecutive goals and allowed none. A narrow deficit became a 21-12 advantage.

The run came from repeated defensive stops and direct attacks. Italy struggled to organise after losing the ball. Serbia reached shooting positions before the Italian defence could fully recover.

Stojinovic, Stojkovic and Blecic shared the scoring responsibility. Each player ended the match with seven goals. Italy could not reduce the attack by stopping one leading scorer.

A Serbia handball player shoots during an international youth match.

Serbia also stayed disciplined after building the lead. The team did not allow Italy to answer with a similar run. The advantage continued growing through the remaining minutes.

Italy scored six times after the interval. Serbia produced twenty-one goals during the same period. That difference explains the final margin more clearly than the opening phase.

Defensive contact became stronger around the central area. Serbia also protected the space behind the first line. Italy was forced toward more difficult attempts as the game progressed.

Stops in goal supported faster Serbian attacks. The players moved forward before Italy could establish its preferred defensive formation. Several goals arrived from this change of pace.

Serbia reached a fifteen-goal advantage at one stage. Italy scored twice late, but the result was already secure. The final 32-18 score completed a remarkable change from the opening 2-8 position.

Serbia carries one point into the main round

Serbia completed the preliminary group with five points. Germany also collected five. Their earlier meeting affects the points carried into the next stage.

Serbia and Germany enter the new group with one point each. Slovenia begins with two, while France starts without a point. Results against the other advancing team remain active.

Serbia will now play Slovenia and France. Those matches decide the route toward the quarter-finals. The strongest two teams advance directly, with two third-place teams also qualifying.

The win over Italy therefore achieved more than a large score. It confirmed Serbia's place in the main round. The team also arrives after producing its strongest defensive half of the event.

Three equal leading scorers reflected the recovery

Stojinovic, Stojkovic and Blecic each reached seven goals. Their combined total formed most of Serbia's attack. No single player carried the entire scoring load.

That distribution mattered during the second-half run. Italy faced threats from several positions and could not protect one area. Serbia kept finding a free shooter after moving the defence.

Matteo Agrilo led Italy with five goals. Alex Beraldinelli added three. Their contributions were not enough once Serbia controlled the central defensive space.

Serbia left the court with a completed comeback and a place in the next round. The opening ten minutes showed the danger. The following fifty showed the response that decided the result.

The turnaround also protected Serbia's work from the first two group games. A defeat would have complicated the route into the main round. The team instead finished level with Germany on five group points.

Serbia's second-half score was built across many possessions. The players kept defending after the advantage became comfortable. That discipline prevented Italy from reducing the margin and returning pressure to the final minutes.

The next opponents present different attacking styles. Slovenia arrives with two carried points, while France starts without one. Serbia begins between them and has a clear chance to influence its own quarter-final position.