Montenegro won after the shootout and thus secured the first place in the group
CROATIA – MONTENEGRO 13:15 (4:2, 1:3, 4:3, 2:3 – 2:4)
CROATIA: Bijač (8 saves), Burić, Fatović 1 (0), Lončar, Biljaka,
Bukić 1, Vukičević 1, Žuvela 3, Marinić Kragić 3 (1-1), Vrlić, Butić,
Harkov 2, T. Popadić
MONTENEGRO: Lazović, Vujović 1, Perković 1, Mršić 1, Mačić, V.
Popadić 1, Vidović 1, Đ. Radović 3 (1-1), Ukropina, Spaić 1, Matković 1,
V. Radović 1, Tešanović (6 saves)
FIVE METERS SHOOTS: 12:11 Marinić Kragić, 12:12 Đuro RadoviĆ; Kharkiv – Tešanović defends; 12:13 Ukropina; 13:13 Burić; 13:14 Perković; Fatović – Tešanović defends; 13:15 Mršić
Croatia played another dramatic match against Montenegro. It was another five-meter shootout, but this time Montenegro was better. Thus, the southern neighbors will go to the further stage of the competition from first place, and Croatia will go from second position to the quarterfinals. The atmosphere was rising all the time as both teams were playing a game that would decide from which position they would go.
The match was not easy because Montenegrins are standard in water polo competitions, and are always unpleasant. The Montenegrins increased the rhythm and their aggressiveness all the time, and they knew how to use more players when needed.
In the end, the score was tied, and the game ended at 11:11. The drama unfolded in the fives again. It’s just that the Montenegrins were much more accurate now, and the Croats were much worse compared to their opponent. What happened in the shooting? Maybe they went into the shootout without any concentration, or maybe one more five-pointer was too many for them.
Let’s mention how Spain defeated France with a score of 9-6. In Group B, Hungary beat Italy with a score of 10:5. The quarter-finalists of the European Championship are Croatia, Spain, Hungary and Italy. The other teams go to the playoffs for the quarterfinals.
Croatian water polo players beat Serbia 11:8, and they will play Spain in the quarterfinals. This is the most difficult opponent, and they will probably lose the match. Then, very likely, they will fight for the positions from 5th to 8th place.
