Croatia, Bosnia priests set for European semi-final showdown

The Croatian national team of priests will play Bosnia and Herzegovina in a match for a place in the final of the 18th European Five-a-Side Championship for Priests, being held in the Polish city of Lubin, the Bosnian portal Nedjelja.ba reports.

Croatia played Portugal, Malta and Slovenia in the group stage. They defeated Slovenia 3-0 and Malta 11-1, while losing 0-1 to Portugal. As the second-placed team in the group, the Croatian side beat Slovakia 3-2 in the quarter-finals, CE Report quotes HINA.

The team of priests from BiH followed a similar path. In the group stage, they defeated Austria 3-0, Ukraine 4-0 and Kosovo 6-1, and suffered a 1-0 defeat to hosts Poland. As the second-placed team in their group, the BiH priests beat Hungary 4-0 in the quarter-finals.

The other semi-final pairing features Poland and Portugal. The final stage of the European Championship will take place on 12 February, with the winners to be announced following the closing ceremony.

The coach of the BiH national team of Catholic priests is Croatian football expert and former international Mato Neretljak.

foto Stjepan Didak