The second loss in the World Cup derby in Podgorica has put the Montenegrin water polo team in a difficult position ahead of their final two matches.

The “Sharks” fell to Serbia with a score of 11:9, meaning that even a perfect performance in their upcoming matches against Australia (Sunday at 17:30) and Greece on Tuesday might not secure a spot in the final tournament in Los Angeles.

According to some calculations, alongside a necessary victory over Australia, they would also require a win by at least three goals against Greece. This seems quite unrealistic given their recent performances…

A loss isn’t the end of the world, and neither would be elimination from this tournament. What’s more concerning is the ease with which Montenegro has been losing matches recently, particularly against teams of similar or superior quality. Today’s Serbia certainly falls into that category.

Vladimir Gojković’s squad displayed flaws in their gameplay tonight, reflecting the inconsistencies witnessed in Budapest and Split last summer. This suggests they have yet to learn from mistakes made during significant competitions in 2022.

When facing a team like Serbia, led by Dušan Mandić, brilliant Marko Radulović, and the often formidable Branislav Mitrović in goal, one cannot afford such lapses. Georgia could have similarly triumphed on Wednesday during the tournament’s opening in Podgorica…

The “dolphins” established their lead in the third quarter, scoring four consecutive goals to go up 10:6. This followed an intense first 18 minutes where the score was tied at 6:6.

Once the opponent stretched their lead to four goals in such a tough match, it was clear the Montenegrin team faced a daunting challenge to reverse the tide in front of a packed SC “Morača” pool.

In truth, our team did respond, with Uroš Čučković reducing the deficit to 10:8 in the second minute of the final period, but Serbia struck back immediately with Vuk Milojević securing the score at 11:8…

In the Montenegrin lineup, Đuro Radović, Aleksa Ukropina, and Čučković each found the net twice, while Marko Radulović shone for Serbia with three goals.

MONTENEGRO – SERBIA 9:11 (2:2, 3:3, 2:5, 2:1)

Podgorica – SC “Morača” swimming pool. Attendance: 800. Referees: Kovač-Čatloš (Hungary), Aleksandrescu (Romania). Exclusions: Montenegro 13 (4), Serbia 9 (5). Penalties: Montenegro 1 (1), Serbia 1 (1).

Montenegro: Đurović, Mršić, Banićević, Averka, Čučković 2, Đ. Radović 2, Vidović 1, Ukropina 2, Perković, Spaić, Matković 1, V. Radović 1, Tešanović (nine saves).

Serbia: Mišović, Mandić 1, S. Rašović 1, Ranđelović, Lazić, Lukić 1, Drašović, V. Rašović, Radulović 3, Ubović 2, Janković 1, Milojević 2, Mitrović (10 saves).

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