The consecutive defeat of the young Montenegrin water polo players at the World Championship has dashed their hopes of winning a medal in Bucharest and Otopeni.

Our U20 team reached the quarterfinals but fell short against the United States, losing 10:9.

Under the leadership of Petar Radanović, the team advanced to the quarter-finals as the second-place finishers in their group, holding aspirations of at least defending their bronze from the previous World Championship. However, the medal remains an unfulfilled aspiration…

Starting strong, Montenegro led 2:0 with goals from Jovan Vujović and Matija Sladović, but they soon succumbed to a 4:0 run that allowed their opponents to seize control…

The USA maintained their lead throughout, and although Montenegro narrowed the gap to 10:9, they had just 26 seconds remaining for one final attack.

Radanović called for a time-out, but Lazar Vukićević’s shot missed the mark…

“We gave up three goals we shouldn’t have due to basic mistakes. That created the advantage for them, even though we fought hard. The boys can hold their heads high after this performance; I hope we can secure the best possible ranking by the end of the tournament,” Radanović commented.

Marko Mršić was our standout player, scoring four goals, with Vujović and Danilo Stupar netting two each, while Sladović contributed one.

On the American side, Ryder Dodd was notable, hitting Ilija Radović’s net four times.

Montenegro now heads to the playoff for placements from 5th to 8th, with Italy as their first opponent on Friday at 15:30.

The USA will contest the semifinals against Hungary, who triumphed over Italy 9:5. Meanwhile, Greece will face the winner of the match between Serbia and Croatia after they narrowly defeated Spain 11:10.

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