Lekai and Bartucz after shocking defeat: Game was in our hands…

Posted on 28. January 2025.

Hungary suffered tough defeat against Croatia 30:31 (16:16) at World Handball Championship 2025 quarter-final in Zagreb. The team of Chema Rodriguez had 30:26 advantage only few minutes before the end, but domestic squad made 5:0 series concluded with buzzer-beater of Marin Sipic.

“In the last ten minutes, we lost the ball a lot, which allowed them to come closer and turn the game around. We didn’t panic; we started to fight, and they fought as well. As for my game, I played one match, gave everything I had on the field, and this happened.”, said goalkeeper Laszlo Bartucz.

Experienced Mate Lekai commented also…
“We tried to do everything, but we lost. In the end, I always say it’s better to play poorly and win than to play well and lose. Their goalkeeper played well, we lost a ball, and we received a two-minute exclusion. I think the game was in our hands, but we lost it.”

When asked if this was the hardest defeat of his career, he said:
“Unfortunately, I’ve had many defeats. I lost the Champions League final twice, I lost the Olympic semi-final against Sweden by one goal… Maybe not the hardest, but definitely one of the worst.”