In January 2020, at the Danube Arena in Budapest, Montenegrin water polo players achieved a remarkable victory over Italy, advancing past the quarterfinals of the European Championship.

In the following four years, the “Sharks” participated in six significant competitions—two European Championships, three World Championships, and the Olympic Games—but they found themselves repeatedly stymied at the quarterfinal stage, a barrier that Vladimir Gojković’s team could not surmount.

This trend continued in February at the World Cup in Doha, where, starting tomorrow (Thursday at 10 a.m.), Montenegro will face Greece for the sixth consecutive time to compete for positions ranging from 5th to 8th place.

“We still have a playoff against Greece. Our goal is to improve and use these two matches as preparation for what lies ahead this summer,” stated Aljoša Mačić, Montenegro’s defender.

Unlike many previous playoff matches, the ones in Doha and more recently in Zagreb carry a noteworthy competitive edge—this time, the “Sharks” aim to finish ahead of Serbia (in their first match for placement, they face Hungary) to avoid the bottom seed in the Olympic draw.

“It is crucial that we perform our best in these final two games to secure a favorable position for the Olympic group stage draw,” Stefan Vidović remarked, adding.

“I believe we should take full advantage of these matches to experiment with new strategies, and as always, I’m confident we will give our utmost effort.”

The upcoming opponent is Greece—a team that recently defeated Gojković’s squad (15:10) in the match for 5th place at the European Championship in Zagreb.

“Yes, we faced them recently, and now our focus will be to counter their strengths, including their key players, centers, and several skilled shooters. They are a formidable team, but I believe we have what it takes to secure another victory against one of the top teams,” Mačić added.

Despite facing numerous challenges in Qatar this February, the primary objective has been met—Montenegro will participate in the Olympic Games for the fifth consecutive time.

“We achieved our main goal, which was shared by many national teams, and we can take satisfaction in that,” concluded Vidović.

Four years ago, Montenegro brought home a bronze medal from the mentioned Euro in Budapest, but since then, vying for medals has become an increasingly rare occurrence. The current reality involves competing for placements from 5th to 8th.

As the “Sharks” prepare for the Paris Olympic Games, they will be presented with another opportunity to make significant advances.

WC Doha 2024.

Thursday

Placement matches from 5th to 8th

Montenegro – Greece (10h)

Serbia – Hungary (12:30 p.m.)

Semi-finals

Spain – Italy (14:00)

Croatia – France (15:30)

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