Dominant Croatia hammers Israel in Basketball World Cup qualifier

The Croatian national team successfully concluded the first phase of the 2027 World Cup qualifiers in Osijek on Monday night, with a convincing 103:75 win over Israel. In the next stage of the qualifications Croatia will face Poland, The Netherlands and Latvia.

Leading the team in scoring was center Ivica Zubac with 18 points. The big man also added an impressive ten rebounds and four assists: “It was a good game, and we got off to a good start, just the way we wanted to. From the outset we imposed our rhythm of play, or physical style of play, and that carried us throughout the game. We did have a few periods when we could have responded better with regard to lost possession and the like, but all-in-all it was a very good game. I think we can do even better, but to beat a team like Israel, by almost thirty points is a good result.”

Team captain and veteran forward Dario Šarić also put in a solid performance, adding 17 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. Another veteran forward, Mario Hezonja, was also on target adding ten points, ten rebounds and four assists, while forward David Skara and guard Antonio Jordano added 13 points each.

With the win Croatia took first place in Group "E" with 11 points from five wins and one loss. The sole loss came at the hands of Germany, which finished with the same record, but took second place behind Croatia as a result of a worse points-for-and-against tally. Israel finished third with eight points from two wins and four losses, while Cyprus was last with six consecutive losses.

Croatia, Germany and Israel, will all now advance to the second round of the qualifications, where they will compete in Group "K" along with Poland, Latvia and the Netherlands. All teams will carry forward their points from the first round of qualifications. This means that Poland is first with 12 points, followed Croatia and Germany with 11 each. Latvia is fourth with nine points, while The Netherlands and Israel round out the group with eight points each.

In this stage coach Tomislav Mijatović's team will play at home and away against Poland, Latvia and The Netherlands, with its first game coming against Latvia on August 27th. The top three teams in the group will qualify for the 2027 Basketball World Cup to be hosted by Qatar from August 27th to September 12th.

Source: HRT