Croatia finishes second at Hamburg Supercup after defeat to Germany

Croatia’s men’s basketball team finished second at the Supercup warm-up tournament in Hamburg after losing 87-96 to world champions Germany in the final.

Ivica Zubac led Croatia with 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Mario Hezonja also scored 19 points and Karlo Matković added 17. Germany was led by Oscar Da Silva with 22 points and Maodo Lô with 19.

Croatia held a narrow lead during the first quarter, while the teams were tied 34-34 in the second. However, a poor finish to the first half allowed Germany to go on a 16-3 run and take a 50-39 lead into halftime.

Croatia fought back in the third quarter, but Germany remained in front throughout the second half. Midway through the fourth quarter, the hosts appeared to be heading for a comfortable victory, but Croatia responded with a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to 88-85 with three minutes remaining.

Germany then regained control, with Da Silva and Dennis Schröder combining for a 6-0 run to restore a 94-85 lead with less than 30 seconds remaining.

“It’s a shame about the final result, but from the perspective of the players, the coaching staff and what we showed on the court, it’s simply disappointing to lose. In every other respect, we are absolutely satisfied with what we saw and accomplished. Playing two matches of this caliber within 48 hours was exactly what we wanted at this stage of our preparations. Both Turkey and Germany, in back-to-back games, were excellent tests for us. If there is one thing to criticize today, it was our second-quarter performance and the number of turnovers. We had as many as 21, which is simply too many for any team, and that is something we now have to correct,” Croatia coach Tomislav Mijatović said after the game.

Turkey finished third after beating the Czech Republic 99-84.

Croatia recorded one win, against Turkey, and one defeat, against Germany, at the tournament. The team will return to competitive action on Thursday in Zadar, when it faces Latvia in a 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying match. Croatia will then host the Netherlands three days later.