“Sharks” Concede 18 Goals to Romania; Set to Compete for Fifth Place Against Greece
Thirteen years ago, Montenegrin water polo players secured fifth place at the European Championship in Zagreb.
Now, they have the opportunity to replicate that achievement—on Tuesday at 18:30, they must defeat Greece in their final match of the EP to claim the fifth position.
In their previous match, the “Sharks” demonstrated their status as favorites against Romania with a solid performance (18:11), despite a shaky start where they fell behind 3:0 in just over two minutes.
The team’s initial lack of aggressiveness on both offense and defense set them back early on, but it didn’t take long for Vladimir Gojković’s squad to regain control and secure a convincing victory.
By the end of the first quarter, Montenegro had flipped the score to 4:3, and the last time Romania held a tie was at the start of the second quarter when Vlad Đorđeska evened the score at 4:4.
After that, Montenegro pulled ahead by four, and in the latter half, the only question was how often they would score against Marijuš Cik, who made 10 saves.
This victory has also clarified Montenegro’s status for the World Cup in Doha, confirming they will be in Group C alongside Serbia, the United States, and Japan.
The teams that place first in each of the four groups will move directly to the quarter-finals, while the second and third place teams will enter a playoff to reach the top eight.
Montenegro’s last encounter with Greece in major competitions was this summer at the World Cup in Fukuoka, where they faced a dramatic defeat in the quarter-finals. The Greek team later lost in the final against Hungary on penalties.
MONTENEGRO – ROMANIA 18:11 (4:3, 5:3, 4:2, 5:3)
Zagreb – Pool on the Sava. Attendance: 100. Officials: Garcia (Switzerland), Copić (Croatia). Man-up: Montenegro 10 (4), Romania 8 (3). Penalties: Montenegro 2 (2), Romania 2 (2).
Montenegro: Lazović, Brguljan, Perković 3, Averka 2, Mačić 1, Popadić 2, Vidović 2, Đ. Radović 4, Mršić, Vujović, Matković 2, V. Radović 2, Tešanović (eight saves).
Romania: Cik (10 saves), Belenjesi, Lutescu, Fulea 2, Antipa, Prioteasa 2, Bota, Neamcu, Kolodrovski 2, Đorđesku 3, Judean, Vančik 2, Dragušin.