The Montenegro water polo team concluded the World Championship in eighth place.

Following their finishes in Budapest in 2022 and Fukuoka last year, the “sharks” wrapped up their participation in Doha by also claiming eighth place. Vladimir Gojković’s squad faced Hungary today, losing 18:16 (14:14 in regulation) in the match for seventh place after five rounds.

“I’m disappointed in the end. I commend the players for their determination. The matches against Hungary and Greece demonstrated our commitment to play until the end, a contrast to earlier games that weren’t for medals. Today, we were down a player as Matković suffered an injury during warm-up. The team bore a heavy burden, with many players accumulating three personal fouls. Overall, we should be pleased with our performance. A victory would have been more gratifying, especially against Hungary, who were world champions just six months ago. These matches provide hope that we can compete with these formidable opponents,” Gojković remarked after the match.

This tournament also saw Montenegro qualify for the Olympic Games set to take place in Paris.

“Hungary is undoubtedly the best team in the world. They were favored to win gold. We played well and found our strength, maintaining concentration throughout. From the start, it was clear we could compete with them. Ultimately, we controlled the game and held a one-goal advantage. I believe we should have secured the win in regulation. However, in the end, Hungary’s better shooters stepped up during the penalty shootout. Overall, we played a strong game, proving we can hold our own against anyone. I view this as a promising precursor to what awaits us this summer,” stated Miroslav Perković.

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