Croatia successfully prevented France from causing another major upset at the World Cup.

The “Barracudas” have advanced to the finals, aiming to secure their third title in history following a hard-fought victory over the French, which they clinched after a close match ending in 17:16 (11:11 at the end of regular time).

The “Tricolori” proved to be a formidable opponent for Croatia; they nearly pulled off a remarkable upset by reaching the finals but ultimately, one of the tournament favorites achieved their objective and will face Italy on Saturday in the quest for gold.

Croatia took an early lead of 2:0 and 3:1 in the first quarter, capitalizing on all three of their power play opportunities. However, despite their flawless execution, they could not gain a significant advantage.

Toma Verna and goalkeeper Igo Fontani kept France competitive throughout the match, as they remained resilient even in the third period when trailing 9:6, and in the last minute of play when Loren Fatović scored with just 52 seconds left, bringing the score to 11:10.

In the next possession, Enzo Kas equalized for France. Croatia had 16 seconds left to secure the win in regulation but were unable to do so.

They finally achieved victory ten minutes later—after a tense shootout—when head coach Ivica Tucak opted to substitute Marko Bijač with Mateo Anić, who made a crucial save against Kas’s shot, igniting a massive celebration…

On Saturday at 15:30 (local time), Croatia will be vying for its third world championship title, having previously won in 2007 in Melbourne and again in 2015 in Budapest.

France will seek to secure their first-ever medal at the world championships against Spain on Saturday the 14th.

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