A few days after Croatia defeated Italy in Rome (15:13, PSO), the two teams met again for a friendly match in their preparations for the World Championships in Singapore.
The Croats hosted the “Settebello” in Sibenik and recorded a 14:10 victory. The game was a part of the “Days of Water Polo” festival.
In the following week, both teams will travel to Asia for the final phase of the preparations.
The rivals were in a tight contest in the first quarter of the match in Sibenik – until 3:3. Late in the first quarter, young Tin Brubnjak gave Croatia a 4:3 lead. The home team then netted three consecutive goals after the first break, extending its lead to 7:3. In the following minutes, the teams traded goals, and Croatia maintained a safe distance. Italy, playing without Di Fulvio and Velotto, managed to reduce the deficit to two goals near the end of the match when Ferrero scored to make it 10:12 (30th minute). However, the visitors couldn’t close the gap any further. Josip Vrlic found the net just fourteen seconds before the final whistle, making the score 13:10. Italy failed to score on their last possession, and Croatia’s goalkeeper Marko Bijac closed the match. He scored two seconds before the final buzzer, sending the ball into the empty net as Italy’s goalkeeper Gianmarco Nicosia joined his teammates for the final attack.
Bijac was one of the best players of the winning team, as he posted 11 saves. The top scorer of the match was Italy’s Giacommo Cannella (just like in Rome), while Bukic and Vrlic scored three goals each for Croatia.
Croatia – Italy 14:10 (4:3, 3:1, 4:4, 3:2)
Croatia: Bukic 3, Vrlic 3, Buric 2, Zyvela 2, Butic 1, Kharkov 1, Brubnjak 1, Bijac 1.
Italy: Cannella 4, Ferrero 2, Del Basso 1, Damone 1, Condemi 1, Di Somma 1.
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