Croatia U18 coach admits responsibility for loss to Poland

Croatia U18 coach, Luka Kralj, has admitted responsibility for the loss to Poland at EuroBasket B division. "The match against Poland was our weakest on the tournament so far. Unfortunately, we made all the mistakes in the last 50 seconds," said Kralj.

Croatia U18 lost to Poland

Croatia U18 lost to Poland 68:66 in the last minute of the match. Poland celebrated with a three-pointer in the last second, and the Croatian players fell into despair.

Mental collapse

Croatia U18 suffered a mental collapse after the loss to Poland. "There is no doubt that this loss was a huge shock, sadness, and disappointment for us," said Kralj.

What comes next?

Croatia U18 will return to the court for a match against Hungary. "As expected, the home team was mentally completely collapsed, and Kralj immediately after that match emphasized the importance of maximum motivation against Hungary," said Kralj.

League standing: 2nd in World Cup, 6 pts, 2W-0D-1L from 3 games, recent form LWWL.

Croatia U18 is currently 2nd in the World Cup with 6 points, 2 wins, 0 draws, and 1 loss in 3 matches. The current form is LWWL.

Last result: Portugal 2-1 Croatia (2026-07-02).

Croatia U18 lost to Portugal 2:1 in the last match.

Recent form (last 5): 3W-0D-2L (LLWWW, most recent first); lost the last 2.

Croatia U18 has lost the last 2 matches.

Next fixture: vs Czechia (away, 2026-09-26).

Croatia U18 will face Czechia in the next match.

Goals this season: 5 scored, 5 conceded (0 goal difference).

Croatia U18 has scored 5 goals and conceded 5 in this season.

Image prompt: A photorealistic image of a young Croatian player, 18-20 years old, with short brown hair and a determined look on his face, wearing a blue and white jersey with a white number 7 on the back, in a tight waist-up crop, with a shallow depth of field and a floodlight rim light, shot with an 85mm f/1.4 lens.