Few sports can claim to be completely “clean” and free from the subjective opinions of referees, and perhaps none offer as much autonomy to officials as water polo does.

We witnessed this firsthand tonight in Gruž, Dubrovnik, where the “sharks” valiantly faced Croatia, only to be denied a victory in regular time—a win that would have secured them a direct spot in the quarter-finals and a less challenging opponent for the semi-finals.

Referees Jorgos Stavridis from Greece and Tamas Kovač-Čatloš from Hungary seemed intent on ensuring Croatia’s success.

Almost every robust challenge in the second half resulted in the exclusion of Vladimir Gojković, leading to the match ending without Stefan Vidović and Vasilije Radović due to three fouls each.

With just over two minutes remaining, the referees, after analyzing the VAR, issued a four-minute penalty to Vlad Popadić, leaving Montenegro short-handed for the remainder of the match.

It appears the referees were justified, as Popadić inadvertently struck Matijas Biljaka in the nose.

Watch the video HERE.

Despite the disadvantage, they found themselves in a position to win—after Jovan Vujović leveled the score during a five-on-five exchange, and following a fantastic save by Petar Tešanović, Đuro Radović managed to score against Marko Bijač with just 19 seconds left.

The left-handed Novljanin celebrated the goal with arms raised, but the referees disallowed it for a counterfoul, or perhaps a shot taken within six meters. Who can be certain anymore…

Watch the video HERE.

Thus, the chance for a significant upset faded, but the “sharks” did not give in. They at least secured a victory after five matches, which may not have changed their ranking, but after such a spirited performance, both they and the fans are now more hopeful for a substantial result in Croatia.

And the route to a medal is clear—on Wednesday in Zagreb, they face the second-placed team from Group C, likely Germany, followed by a quarter-final clash with Italy on Friday.

Tonight, “Setebelo” faced an unexpectedly decisive loss to an invigorated Hungary, with a score of 10:5, dropping them to second place in the group.

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