A Visa for the Upcoming World Cup Must Be Obtained in Israel
The Montenegrin water polo team faced a tough defeat against Italy in their penultimate match at the World Championship, tarnishing the positive impressions they made in earlier games against Serbia, Spain, Croatia, and Greece.
Despite having the motivation, it seemed as if the players were not in sync.
They lost with a score of 10:6, as Italy maintained a three or four goal lead starting from the early third quarter. Consequently, Montenegro must come to terms with the fact that, despite their efforts in Fukuoka, they couldn’t secure a position leading to the next World Championship in Doha. A finish in the top five was the aim…
The next opportunity lies in the European Championship, which will take place in Netanya (Israel) in January of the upcoming year.
Montenegro initially led with scores of 1:0 and 2:1, but then allowed Italy to pull ahead significantly from the latter half of the second quarter to the middle of the third, creating a four-goal gap at 6:2.
Goals from Đur Radović and Aleksa Ukropina reignited Montenegro’s chances. There could have been a shift in momentum if Montenegro had capitalized on their advantage during a crucial attack, bringing the deficit to just one point…
However, that opportunity was missed (Montenegro converted only three out of ten man-up attacks today), effectively sealing their fate against Alessandro Campagna’s squad.
Miroslav Perković tallied three goals, while Italy’s scoring included contributions by Konstantin Averka, Đuro Radović, and Ukropina, each netting once.
The final match in Fukuoka (scheduled for Saturday) will be against the team that emerges victorious from the current matchup between France and the United States.
MONTENEGRO – ITALY 6:10 (1:1, 1:3, 2:3, 2:3)
Fukuoka – “Marine Mesa” swimming pool. Officials: Aleksandrescu (Romania), Kovač-Čatloš (Hungary). Power plays: Montenegro 10 (3), Italy 10 (3). Penalties: Montenegro 1 (-), Italy 1 (1).
Montenegro: Andrić, Mačić, Perković 3, Averka 1, Popadić, Vujović, Vidović, Đ. Radović 1, Ukropina 1, Spaić, Matković, V. Radović, Tešanović (nine saves).
Italy: Del Lungo (13 saves), Di Fulvio 1, Damonte 3, Martial 1, Veloto 1, Canela 1, Rencuto-Jodiće, Ećenike 1, Prešuti, Bruni 1, Di Soma 1, Condemi.