For the third consecutive time, Montenegro’s water polo national team has secured the eighth position in the world rankings. This morning, the “sharks” will compete for seventh place after a close match against Hungary, finishing 18:16 in Doha (after a 14:14 tie in regulation).

Previously, our team placed eighth in Budapest in 2022 and again in Fukuoka last year.

With just 40 seconds left, Montenegro held a one-goal advantage (14:13, with Vasilije Radović scoring). However, Hungary equalized with a final attack goal by Vigvari (14:14). Following that, Miroslav Perković and Draško Brguljan both missed their shots, resulting in Montenegro ending up in eighth place.

Hungary initially took the lead, having a two-goal advantage in the first quarter (4:2, with goals from Janšik and Zalanki). Montenegro responded with equalizers from Jovan Vujović and Vasilij Radović (4:4), and the halftime score was tied at 6:6.

In the second half, Hungary regained a two-goal lead (9:7, with scores from Vigvari and Zalanki). Montenegro then rallied with a 3:0 run, including two goals from Vlad Popadić and one from Stefan Vidović, taking their first lead at the start of the fourth quarter at 10:9.

Hungary quickly countered, regaining the lead with goals from Vamoš and Vigvari (11:10). However, Jovan Vujović responded strongly, scoring two goals to regain the lead for the “sharks” (12:11), and then extending it to 13:12.

The Hungarians equalized again through Vamoš (13:13), but Vasilije Radović restored Montenegro’s lead with just 40 seconds remaining, making it 14:13.

As Hungary launched their final attack, the “sharks” were unable to defend effectively, allowing Vigvari to score and place the match in the hands of the top five.

Vujović was the standout scorer with four goals, while Popadić added three. For Hungary, Zalanki also led with four goals.

Despite the result, the “Sharks” secured a spot in the Olympic Games in Paris during this championship.

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