The Montenegro water polo team concluded another World Championship with an eighth-place finish.

Following their placements in Budapest in 2022 and Fukuoka last year, the “sharks” once again ended their journey in Doha at the eighth position. Vladimir Gojković’s squad lost to Hungary today with a score of 18:16 (14:14 at the end of regular time) during the match for seventh place, which was determined after a penalty shootout.

“I’m disappointed with the outcome. I want to commend the players for their resilience—the matches against Hungary and Greece demonstrated that we played until the very end, which was not the case in earlier non-medal games. Today, we had a diminished squad as Matković was injured during warm-ups. The guys bore a heavy burden, with many accumulating three personal fouls. Overall, we can be proud of our performance. It would have been more satisfying to finish with a victory against Hungary, the world champions from six months ago. These matches give us optimism about competing with such opponents,” Gojković reflected after the game.

During this championship, Montenegro secured qualification for the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris.

“Hungary is, individually, the strongest team in the world and were the favorites for the gold. We played well, found our strength, and remained focused. We started strong; from the very first minute, it was evident we could compete with them. In the end, we controlled the match and held a goal advantage. I believe we should have closed it out in the regular time. Ultimately, the penalties came into play—Hungary, being the better shooters, took advantage of that. We showcased a solid performance and proved we can play against any team. I think this serves as a great precursor for what lies ahead this summer,” stated Miroslav Perković.

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