Croatia’s Turkish Airlines Supercup campaign ended with defeat, but Hamburg provided exactly the kind of demanding test Tomislav Mijatović wanted before the games that truly matter. After an emotional semifinal victory over Turkey, Croatia pushed reigning world and European champions Germany for long stretches of the final before eventually falling 96–87 at the Barclays Arena. The scoreline denied Croatia the trophy, yet two games against elite European opposition in the space of 48 hours offered valuable answers before the next stage of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 qualifiers.
The opening quarter suggested that Croatia were ready to challenge Germany all the way. Both teams played at a high offensive tempo, trading baskets throughout an entertaining first ten minutes that ended level at 24–24. Mario Hezonja carried over the confidence from his spectacular 37-point performance against Turkey, scoring ten points in the opening period, while Ivica Zubac immediately caused Germany problems around the basket.
Croatia’s best stretch arrived early in the second quarter. Karlo Matković knocked down a three-pointer and later turned a steal into an emphatic dunk as Mijatović’s team moved four points ahead at 34–30. For a brief period, Croatia had control of the game. Germany’s response, however, was ruthless. The hosts increased their defensive pressure, punished Croatian mistakes and produced a 17–2 run that completely changed the direction of the contest. By halftime, Germany had transformed a four-point deficit into a commanding 50–39 advantage.
That second-quarter collapse ultimately proved decisive. Croatia’s biggest problem was not a lack of offensive quality but its inability to protect the ball consistently against one of the most physical and disciplined teams in international basketball. Croatia finished the game with 21 turnovers, a number Mijatović later identified as the clearest issue his team needed to correct. Against a team as efficient as Germany, giving away that many possessions was always likely to be costly.
Still, Croatia refused to allow the game to get away completely. Germany stretched its lead to 13 points early in the third quarter, but Croatia responded with much better defensive intensity and a 10–0 run. Dario Šarić started the surge, Roko Badžim converted a three-pointer while being fouled and Hezonja followed with another shot from beyond the arc to cut the deficit to just three at 52–49. It was another example of the resilience Croatia had shown one night earlier against Turkey.
Germany, however, had answers of its own. Kay Bruhnke stopped Croatia’s momentum with an important three, while Maodo Lo and Oscar da Silva increasingly imposed themselves on the game. Germany rebuilt its advantage to 13 points before Zubac and Matković helped Croatia stay within reach, reducing the deficit to 78–69 by the end of the third quarter. The Croatian team had been hurt, but it was still alive.
The final quarter followed a similar pattern. Every time Croatia appeared ready to make one decisive push, Germany found a response. Matković’s three-pointer brought Croatia within six, and Luka Božić later cut the margin to five, but the hosts repeatedly answered with baskets through contact to restore their cushion. Even so, Croatia had one final comeback left.
Trailing 88–76, Mijatović turned to a lineup largely composed of players from his second unit, and the response was impressive. Croatia produced a 9–0 run to suddenly make it 88–85 and had possession with an opportunity to move even closer. For a moment, a final that appeared settled was wide open again. Croatia failed to capitalize on that possession, however, and Oscar da Silva punished the missed opportunity at the other end. Dennis Schröder then hit a late three-pointer to effectively close the game and secure the Supercup for Germany.
Zubac finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds, giving Croatia an imposing presence inside, while Hezonja also scored 19 after his extraordinary performance against Turkey. Matković added 17 points and once again showed why his combination of size, athleticism and outside shooting can be such an important weapon for this team. For Germany, da Silva led the way with 22 points, Lo scored 19 and Isaac Bonga contributed 14.
For Mijatović, the larger picture mattered more than the final score. Playing Turkey and Germany on consecutive days was deliberately designed to place Croatia under the kind of physical and tactical pressure it can expect in meaningful international games. The head coach acknowledged the frustration of losing the final but stressed that, aside from the turnovers and a poor stretch in the second quarter, the tournament had delivered what the coaching staff wanted from this stage of preparation.
That assessment is difficult to argue with. Croatia left Hamburg without the trophy, but it also left having beaten European runners-up Turkey and competed seriously with the reigning world and European champions less than 24 hours later. Germany had already proven its strength on the biggest stages, winning the FIBA World Cup before adding the EuroBasket title in 2025, which made the Supercup an unusually demanding preparation tournament. The German federation itself presented the competition as an important high-level test before the next World Cup qualifying window.
More importantly, Croatia showed that it can remain competitive even when the game is not unfolding according to plan. Against Turkey, it came back from a double-digit deficit and won with Hezonja’s dramatic late three-pointer. Against Germany, another large deficit did not lead to surrender. Croatia fought its way back several times and was still within one possession late in the fourth quarter despite committing 21 turnovers. That fighting spirit is encouraging, but the Hamburg final also provided a clear warning: against elite opponents, resilience cannot continually be used to compensate for avoidable mistakes.
The Supercup is now behind them, and the priorities immediately become more serious. Croatia’s next challenge is Latvia in Zadar on August 27, followed three days later by an away game against the Netherlands as the second round of the World Cup qualifiers begins. FIBA confirmed a Croatian roster featuring Hezonja, Šarić, Zubac, Matković, Jaleen Smith, Badžim and the core of the group that competed in Hamburg.
Latvia presents a very different challenge from Germany. As Jaleen Smith stressed after the Supercup final, Croatia will need to be physically aggressive against a Latvian team comfortable playing on the perimeter and looking for three-point opportunities. That means controlling defensive rotations, contesting shooters and, above all, avoiding the kind of turnovers that allowed Germany to seize control of the second quarter in Hamburg.
That is ultimately the value of a tournament such as the Supercup. Croatia did not travel to Hamburg simply to collect a trophy in August. It went there to discover what works, expose what still needs improvement and test itself against teams capable of punishing every mistake. The victory over Turkey showed Croatia’s ability to produce something special under pressure. The defeat to Germany showed exactly where the margins become unforgiving at the highest level.
Now comes the part that counts. Hamburg was the test. Zadar, Latvia and the road toward the 2027 World Cup are the real examination.
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