The Montenegro junior (U19) water polo team stumbled in the final of the European Championship held in Burgas, Bulgaria.

In the title match, our players faced defeat against Croatia, with a final score of 10:8 after the regular time ended in a 7:7 tie.

Miodrag Mirović’s squad found themselves trailing 3:0, only scoring their first goal just five seconds before the end of the second quarter through Strahinja Gojković, bringing the score to 3:1.

After falling behind 4:1, they managed to equalize at 4:4, showcasing greater strength and speed than their adversaries. However, Croatia retaliated early in the final period.

They established a 6:4 lead, but a series of three consecutive goals from Montenegro, capped by Balša Vučković, brought them into the last minute ahead 7:6.

Mirović’s players then had a chance to extend their lead, but this opportunity was missed, leading to a defensive penalty. After a time-out, Croatia capitalized and scored with an extra player 39 seconds before the end.

Missed penalties from Srđan Janović, Vučković, and Danilo Stupar (with only Gojković scoring) allowed Croatia, who had previously defeated Montenegro in the group stage, to celebrate their victory.

While Montenegro was close to winning gold, they achieved a lot in Burgas, having initially lost all three group matches (against Spain, Hungary, and Croatia) before reaching the semi-finals with spectacular victories over the Netherlands and Serbia.

In an impressive semi-final performance, they vanquished the Hungarians, ultimately falling short of the ultimate prize.

At the conclusion of the tournament, captain Janović was recognized as the best player at the European Championship.

The bronze medal was claimed by Spain, who triumphed over Hungary in a penalty shoot-out, 16:14.

MONTENEGRO – CROATIA 8:10 – AFTER PENALTIES (0:1, 1:2, 3:1, 3:3, 1:3)

Burgas – “Park Arena”. Referees: De Jong (Netherlands), Marques (Spain).

Montenegro: Bjelica, Vraneš, Samardžić, Petrović, Moračanin, Stupar 2, Perov, Janović 2, Milinić, Vučković 1, Gojković 1, Roganović 1, Vuković.

Croatia: Čubranić, Prkoča, Kuci, Šušić 2, Obuljen, Burburen 1, Burđelez 2, Žilić, Fajković, Penava, Tončinić 1, Pavlić 1, Ćosić.

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