It’s a rare occurrence in water polo, particularly at the elite level, for a team to suffer a defeat after leading by five goals.

This kind of turnaround occurred twice in the 3rd round of the World Championship in Fukuoka, and once again, the Montenegrin national team found itself on the losing side, despite holding a lead for 27 minutes.

The “Sharks” were edged out by Serbia after a fiercely contested match (17:15, with the score tied at 13:13 in regular time). Montenegro initially surged to a 5:0 lead in the first quarter, maintained a four-goal margin in the second, and a three-goal lead in the third…

As a result of this loss, Montenegro finds itself in third place in the group, facing the reigning European champions – Vladimir Gojković’s squad will compete against Croatia (Sunday at 10:00 a.m.) for a chance to advance to the quarterfinals.

This outcome is certainly not what they wanted to avoid, yet against Serbia, they were unable to finish the match successfully – a recurring issue with this generation of our national team.

This isn’t the first time they’ve let a significant lead slip, and it’s becoming more frequent against teams that are not considered top-tier. It’s no longer just about Serbia, nor is it specifically about Montenegro…

The 5:0 lead early in the game came too soon for Montenegro, who took just four minutes and 37 seconds to achieve it.

Aljoša Mačić, Vasilije Radović, Đuro Radović, Kanstantin Averka, and Dušan Matković were the scorers in that sequence, while Serbia’s first goal arrived after five minutes by Nikola Jakšić, netting in an attack with player Petar Tešanović.

Montenegro led 6:3 after the first eight minutes and began the second period strong (it was 8:4 at halftime). However, the “Dolphins” proved they were not going down without a fight, closing the gap to 8:7 and signaling an exciting finish in the “Marine Mesa” pool.

Jakšić (three goals) and Đorđe Vučinić (five goals) kept Serbia in contention, while Montenegro maintained a stronger overall performance in the pool. The final quarter, however, saw other players step up for Uroš Stevanović’s team.

Miroslav Perković scored six minutes from the end to bring the score to 12:10, followed by goals from Strahinja Rašović, Radomir Drašović, Sava Ranđelović, and Marko Radulović, pushing Montenegro to the edge.

Aleksa Ukropina leveled the score to 13:13 with 19 seconds remaining and brought his team to five points, but the momentum was with the opponents, who scored on all four shots in the closing moments…

On the flip side, Đuro Radović and Dušan Matković both missed crucial opportunities, with the latter’s shot saved by Branislav Mitrović’s head…

“It’s difficult to say much… We certainly can’t be satisfied after our strong start of 5:0, during which we controlled the game for three and a half quarters,” stated Gojković.

Consequently, the Montenegrin team didn’t perform as expected in this group, suffering defeats against both Spain and Serbia. They must showcase their best performance against Croatia (who secured second place by defeating Japan 17:12) if they wish to keep their hopes alive for a shot at medals.

“You could see the energy, the players fought hard, and their determination gave us that early lead. There’s no need to dwell on this match now; we must focus on the next round,” Gojković concluded.

The “first cut” was not favorable, and it seems like the “Sharks” did not learn significantly from last year’s outings at the World Championship in Budapest and the European Championship in Split. Their ultimate aim back then was the quarterfinals, and now that goal feels both realistic and distant.

“This time, it turned out in Serbia’s favor, but I believe we showed a superior game and greater cohesion. I hope all of this will come together for us in the future,” reflected veteran defender Uroš Čučković.

Hungary, Greece, Italy, and Spain have directly qualified for the quarterfinals.

If they overcome Croatia, Montenegro will then face Greece for a spot in the semifinals.

Round of 16 pairings (Sunday):

USA – Canada at 7:00

Australia – France at 8:30

Montenegro – Croatia at 10:00

Japan – Serbia at 11:30

MONTENEGRO – SERBIA 15:17 – PENALTIES (6:3, 2:4, 3:2, 2:4, 2:4)

Fukuoka – “Marine Mesa” swimming pool. Referees: Aleksandrescu (Romania), Spiritosanto (USA). Extra player: Montenegro 9 (5), Serbia 7 (6). Penalties: Montenegro 1 (-), Serbia 2 (2).

Montenegro: Andrić, Mačić 1, Perković 1, Averka 2, Čučković 1, Popadić, Vidović, Đ. Radović 1, Ukropina 2, Matković 3, V. Radović 2, Tešanović (15 saves).

Serbia: Mišović (seven saves), Radulović 1, S. Rašović 1, Ranđelović 1, Lazić, Milojević, Drašović 1, Jakšić 3, Janković, Ubović 1, Vučinić 5, Mitrović (two saves).

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