“An Unforeseen Challenger for the World Cup: Mršić Declares Our Motivation is Strong”
The Montenegrin water polo team is set for their final match at the World Championship in Doha.
They will face Hungary, the reigning world champions, who suffered a surprising exit in the quarter-finals at the hands of France, meaning they will relinquish their title after just seven months…
The “Sharks” will go head-to-head with Hungary on Saturday at 8:00 AM in a contest for seventh place. Montenegro aims to secure a victory and avoid finishing eighth at the World Championship for the third consecutive time, following their placements in Budapest 2022 and Fukuoka last year.
“This is a new opportunity to compete against one of the best teams globally. We are highly motivated and want to finish the tournament on a positive note,” stated Marko Mršić, one of the younger players on the Montenegrin squad.
Montenegro arrived in Qatar with the goal of securing a spot for the Olympic Games, which they achieved by reaching the quarter-finals, where they lost to Spain with a score of 15:12.
“The most crucial aspect is that we qualified for the Olympic Games. There was just a step missing in our attempt to advance beyond the quarter-finals. We had a fantastic match against Greece, but luck was not on our side. We lost by five points, and now we are determined to give our all against Hungary,” added Mršić.
The Primorje water polo player also shared his thoughts on the final match-up between Italy and Croatia, taking place on Saturday at 3:30 PM.
Meanwhile, Spain and France will compete for third place.
“These are outstanding national teams, among the best in the world. It’s no surprise they made it to the final, as the semi-finals often come down to fine details. France has been a surprise, although their improvement has been noted. They played Greece closely, defeated the Hungarians, and only lost to Croatia by five points. France has certainly made significant strides recently,” remarked Mršić.
Jovan Vujović emphasized the importance of putting forth their best effort in this final encounter.
“Unexpectedly, we’re up against Hungary, the current world champion, who was eliminated in the quarter-finals. They are a very strong team, and we want to end the tournament on a high note. By qualifying for the Olympics, we have achieved our main goal, although we had hoped to contend for a medal, which unfortunately didn’t happen,” concluded Vujović.
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