Croatian national handball team experienced a new personnel change before the European Championship. Menu Dagur Sigurdsson he was left without Leon Ljevarwho suffered a rupture of the medial meniscus during the preparations and will not compete for the championship due to a serious injury.
Ljevar underwent an operation on Wednesday, and although doctors’ estimates suggest that he could return to the field in about three weeks, the European Championship was over for him before it even began. Riječ is about a player who attracted attention this season with great performances in the European League, in which he is Slav from Ljubljana scored 44 goals in six games.
Sigurdsson therefore reacted quickly and made the call Anti Ivankovićuwho immediately joined the preparations of the national team in Prelog. Ivanković is a 24-year-old left winger who currently plays for Ohrid in the North Macedonian Superliga, and he previously wore jerseys abroad Celja, Stuttgart and Slavs. He made his debut for the Croatian national team in 2023.
The injury to Ljevar also opened up space for additional changes in the lineup, so it is likely that among the travelers to the European Championship will be the young left winger Izviđač Dian Neris & Cacute;ška (21). The new absence put additional strain on Sigurdsson’s plans, especially after it became clear earlier that a knee injury would result in him dropping out and Marin Šipić.
The European Championship starts on January 15, and the hosts are Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Croatia will play all the group games in Malmö, where on January 17, they will face Georgia, followed by matches with the Netherlands and Sweden. Before going to the championship, the national team is waiting for two more checks against Njemačkein the Zagreb Arena and in Hanover.