Serbia could have proceeded to the Men's EURO 2026 main round with a win, but after the defeat, they have to wait for the game between Spain and Germany to see if they get the ticket for the next round.
Despite a strong performance by goalkeeper Dejan Milosavljev, they never quite found the rhythm they had shown in the impressive win against Germany, especially in the second half.
Austria went highly motivated into the game, as they could avoid the pre-qualification for the 2027 IHF World Championship in Germany with a win, which they managed, but they failed to get the four-goal win they needed against Serbia to qualify for the main round at the EURO.
Croatia secured their second victory of the preliminary round with a 35-29 win against Holland, and look set to make it to the main round, although they will be watching what happens between Sweden and Georgia before finally celebrating.
The Netherlands tried to keep up, but after seeing Dani Baijens limp off the court with an ankle injury at the end of the game, they did not have the decisive tool to challenge the Croatian defense.
Ivan Martinović won the Player of the Match award after scoring 9 goals. Rutger ten Velde netted eight for the Netherlands, their leading goal scorer.
After losing their first two matches at the EURO, the Czech Republic, who had already outplayed their role at the tournament, ended their European championship on a high when they secured a 38-29 win against Ukraine.
After suffering two losses in their first two games, they also qualified for the third phase of the 2027 IHF World Championships qualifiers, offering themselves a bigger chance to participate in the next big international competition.