Slovenian U20 handball team advances to European Championship semifinals

Slovenia's U20 men's handball team has advanced to the semifinals of the European Championship held in Romania. The young Slovenian handball players secured their spot among the top four European teams by defeating Spain 30-23 in their quarterfinal match in Cluj-Napoca.

Under the guidance of coach Tomaž Ocvirk, Slovenia initially took the lead but fell behind by three goals, 10-7. However, they quickly regrouped, regained the lead, and entered halftime with a two-goal advantage. In the second half, Slovenia extended their lead to five goals, 19-14, and despite Spain narrowing the gap to two goals, the Slovenians re-established a significant lead, at one point leading by eight goals before securing the victory.

Aljuš Anžič was the top scorer for Slovenia with ten goals. Goalkeeper Matevž Mlakar was instrumental with 16 saves. Slovenia's path to the semifinals included earlier victories against Poland (40-34) and the Czech Republic (35-31), with a loss to Hungary (26-28). They also secured a decisive win against hosts Romania (53-32) in the second stage.

In the semifinals on Friday, Slovenia will face Hungary again, aiming for revenge after their earlier defeat. Other semifinalists include Sweden and Denmark.