The World Cup host managed to hold their ground for just over two quarters, but it was a tall order to expect a stunning upset against the European champions.

In a dynamic second half, the Croatian water polo team triumphed over Japan in the third round of the World Championship in Fukuoka (17:12), setting up an exciting match against Montenegro in the next round.

This morning, following their five-a-side match, our team faced defeat against Serbia (17:15), which meant they entered the knockout stage from the third position, directly facing one of the tournament’s strongest opponents.

Japan performed impressively up until the middle of the third quarter (9:8), after which Ivica Tucak’s squad “shifted into high gear”, took a 13:9 lead, quickly extended it to 15:9, and closed out the game in the “Marine Mesa” pool.

Konstantin Harkov was the standout player for Croatia, netting four goals, while Luka Bukić scored three times against the “Samurai”.

The match between Montenegro and Croatia is set for Sunday at 10 a.m. local time, with Greece awaiting the victor in the quarter-finals.

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