Drama in Ohrid: Croatia and Montenegro draw 20-20 in Trophy Macedonia opener

The opening match of the Trophy Macedonia in the Biljanini Izvori hall in Ohrid on 24 September 2026 ended in dramatic fashion as Croatia and Montenegro played to a 20-20 draw (10-11 at half-time).

The game began evenly, but after a 5-5 scoreline Montenegro produced a 4-0 run to lead 5-9 and later extended the margin to 6-10. Ivica Obrvan, the former head coach of North Macedonia and now in charge of Croatia, managed to halt the run and his side went into the break trailing 10-11.

Late twists in the second half

The second 30 minutes delivered more tension. The teams traded goals and the score was 15-15 in the middle of the half. Croatia finally edged ahead to 17-16, and in the 53rd minute missed a chance to move two goals clear.

With the match tied 19-19 and roughly a minute remaining, Obrvan called a timeout; Croatia converted a penalty to go 20-19, but Montenegro answered immediately to make it 20-20, which remained the final result.

The tournament continues with the second match of the evening at 18:00, when North Macedonia will meet Serbia in Ohrid.

Photo: press material from the event