After just two rounds at the World Cup tournament in Podgorica, it may be early for predictions, but the Montenegrin water polo players already understand what is needed to secure one of the top three spots for the finals.

The “Sharks” enjoy a rest day today following a win and a loss in their initial matches against Georgia and Spain. To earn a spot in Los Angeles, they must achieve two more victories.

Montenegro’s next opponent is Serbia (Saturday at 17:30), followed by matches against Australia (Sunday at 19:30) and Greece on Tuesday (time TBD).

Georgia has proven to be a challenging contender for the favorites in Podgorica, complicating matters for Montenegro and even defeating Australia. It was evident before the tournament that no points were guaranteed, except perhaps for the formidable Spain…

“I believe we have a strong chance against Serbia, even though they might be seen as the favorites. Our opponent features several top players ranked among the best globally, but I’m confident that we are physically better prepared and with the right determination, we can achieve victory,” stated center Miroslav Perković, who missed the match against Spain.

On Wednesday, Montenegro triumphed over Georgia with a goal from Đur Radović just eight seconds before the match concluded (13:12). In the match against Spain, Montenegro struggled initially, falling behind 5:0 and only scoring their first goal in the 15th minute (Konstantin Averka brought the score to 5:1). They managed to close the gap to 7:5, but ultimately lost 10:6.

“We will look for opportunities through swimming and counterattacks, as I believe we are better prepared than Serbia at this moment. It won’t be an easy match; Serbia has numerous world water polo stars, but with strong support from our fans, we can aim for a positive outcome,” remarked Danilo Radović.

To begin, Serbia won against Australia (10:6), and their next match of the tournament will occur tonight at 19:30 against Greece.

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