The World Cup qualifiers have concluded, with Montenegrin water polo players finishing in fourth place. The tournament in Otopeni featured some strong matches, yet there are still numerous areas for improvement that the new coach, Dejan Savić, needs to address.

Among the standout teams was Greece, who convincingly triumphed over the “sharks” both at the beginning (18:10) and at the conclusion of the tournament (17:10).

“Another defeat with a significant margin. We struggled to find our offensive rhythm at the start of the game; it improved slightly later on, but it was still not sufficient,” Vlado Popadić commented from Otopeni.

There is concern that such poor performance has resurfaced in a matter of days.

“We allowed too many goals, particularly from the angles we had anticipated, and the final score reflects that – it was too lopsided, similar to the first match, which should not occur again,” Popadić stated unequivocally.

In April, Montenegro will host the Superfinal of the World Cup, where it will face a formidable opponent right away – Croatia.

“We need to move forward and prepare as thoroughly as possible for that matchup to perform at our best,” Popadić added.

A thrilling derby in Kotor or Budva against the “Barracuda” is also anticipated by Bogdan Đurđić.

“We’re up against a familiar opponent, and it will undoubtedly be a significant quarterfinal,” remarked the Hungarian water polo player.

The third-place match against Greece was decided similarly to the first, as the second quarter saw the net of our national team shaken seven times.

“By the end of the first half, we were already out of contention; the Greeks capitalized on our offensive shortcomings, pulled ahead, and maintained a lead of four to five points, effectively sealing the match,” Đurđić added.

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