Croatia, Spain, Hungary, and Greece will play in the World Cup Final Eight semifinals in Podgorica on Saturday.
Croatia, the world champion, beat Montenegro 12:11 in a thrilling match. Loren Fatovic emerged as a hero, scoring six goals, the last one a winner three seconds before the end.
In the remaining three quarterfinal matches, the favorites recorded convincing victories. Spain outplayed Germany (22:9), Hungary defeated the Netherlands (21:11), and Greece triumphed over Japan (20:10).
Croatia will face Spain in the semifinals, while Hungary and Greece will meet in that stage tommorow.
The Romanian national water polo team had reason to celebrate after today’s quarterfinals, even though it didn’t advance to the F8. The outcomes of today’s matches allowed the Romanians to secure a spot in the World Championships in Singapore.
The last three tickets for the World Championships were up for grabs in Podgorica. They will be awarded to Spain, Hungary and Greece (Croatia qualified as the Olympic silver medalist). Three teams secured their spots from the European Championships. After the quarterfinals in Podgorica, it is clear that these teams are: Italy, Montenegro, and Romania, which finished 8th at the 2024 ECH. All teams placed ahead of the Romanians at the ECH qualified through one of three qualification competitions. It was important for Montenegro and Romania that Hungary, Greece, and Spain didn’t allow surprises today.(The full list of the qualified teams is at the end of the article)
Photo by Krsto Vulovic/WPF of Montenegro
World Cup Final Eight Podgorica, Quarterfinals
Montenegro – Croatia 11:12 (1:2, 5:2, 3:4, 2:4)
Montenegro: Matkovic 3, Gardasevic 2,Moskov 2, Sladovic 2, Dj. Radovic 1, Gojkovic 1.
Croatia:Fatovic 6, Butic 2, Zuvela 1, Kharkov 1,Buric 1
Montenegro’s head coach, Dejan Savic, had only one goalkeeper on the roster. Unfortunately, the captain and starting goalie, Petar Tesanovic, was unable to help his teammates. However, his replacement, Lazar Andric, did a great job, posting 11 saves. Still, it wasn’t enough for a win, even though the hosts led for most of the time.
Croatia led 2:1 after the first eight minutes, and Buric extended the margin to 3:1 in the second period. However, Lazar Andric boosted his team’s confidence with a series of saves and steals. The entire team stepped up defensively, blocking numerous shots.
Montenegro scored four goals in a row in only 02:15 minutes and turned a 2-goal deficit into a 2-goal lead. Sladovic fired a ball from a distance to make it 5:4 in the 15th minute. Buric ended Croatia’s goalless phase, but Gardasevic closed the first half with a power-play goal – 6:4.
Croatia leveled with two goals in the early stage of the third period. After Butic scored for 6:6, Montenegro’s head coach Dejan Savic called a time out. It turned out it was at the right moment. After a one-minute break, leftie Djuro Radovic put Montenegro in front again. Shortly after, Croatia’s head coach, Ivica Tucak, made a good move. After Gardasevic committed a personal foul, Tucak asked for a challenge. After a VAR review, the referees changed their decision, and Croatia got a penalty shot instead of an extra player. But, Andric saved a penalty from Kharkov. Two minutes before the last break, Dusan Matkovic doubled the hosts’ advantage. Still, Loren Fatovic replied with two goals and leveled at 8:8. Then came Matkovic again, with a nice goal from a distance to give Montenegro a 9:8 lead before the final eight minutes.
Lazar Andric (MNE) and Loren Fatovic (CRO) photo by Krsto Vulovic/WPF of Montenegro
Filip Gardasevic made it 10:8. Fatovic narrowed the distance, and Butic equalized in the 29th minute – 10:10. A minute and 51 seconds before the final buzzer, Strahinja Gojkovic, a son of Montenegro’s former head coach, Vladimir, got on the scoresheet to gave Montenegro a 11:10 lead. But, Croatia fought back. The Croat’s goalkeeper, Mauro Ivan Cubranic, who had replaced Marko Bijac midway through the third period, made several crucial saves, and Fatovic excelled in the attack. Fatovic scored to tie the game at 11:11 with 47 seconds left. After Montenegro’s final attack, Croatia had 26 seconds for its last possession. With just three seconds remaining, Loren Fatovic executed a beautiful lob to set the final score, sending Croatia to the semifinals.
Spain – Germany 22:9 (4:2, 7:3, 4:2, 7:2)
Spain: Granados 6, Munarriz 4, Cabanas 3, Valera 2, Biel 2, Bustos 1, Asensio 1, De Toro 1, Valls 1,Daura Gomez 1.
Germany: Bozic 3, Strelezkij 2, Chiru 1, Bauer 1, Matten 1, Gansen 1.
The Germans knew that Alvaro Granados and Alberto Munarriz would be the biggest threat to their defense, but they could not stop them. The two experienced players combined 10 goals, leading Spain, the reigning World Cup champion, to a convincing 22:9 win.
Germany scored an opening goal in its first possession, when Strelezkij sent the ball past Edoardo Lorrio, who was guarding Spain’s goal for the first three periods. Spain quickly responded with two goals, and Bozic leveled the score at 2-2 in the fourth minute. Spain then went on a 4:0 run, extending its lead to 6:2 by the 10th minute, which quieted the group of German fans in the stands. Midway through the quarter, Granados increased the margin to five goals, making it 8:3. The Spaniards maintained that difference for a while and entered the second half with a six-goal lead after Munarriz scored to make it 11:5 in the 16th minute.
Alvaro Granados (ESP) Photo by Krsto Vulovic/WPF of Montenegro
By the end of the first two quarters, the Spaniards had practically secured the victory. Nevertheless, they continued to play aggressively and didn’t save energy for the semifinals. In the final quarter, they scored seven goals, three of which came in the last two minutes and 14 seconds.
Hungary – Netherlands 21:11 (6:4, 5:2, 6:2, 4:3)
Hungary: Manhercz 3, Ad. Nagy 3, Ven. Vigvari 3, Ak. Nagy 3, Tatrai 2, Vin. Vigvari 2, Fekete 2, Burian 2, Batizi 1.
Netherlands: Ten Broek 3, Van der Werve 2, Van der Weijden 2, Gbadamassi 1, Hassels 1, Te Riele 1, De Weerd 1.
The Hungarians started the match explosively, taking a 4:0 lead within the first six minutes. The Dutch team created several good opportunities, but Hungary’s goalkeeper, Kristof Csoma, made one save after another in the opening minutes. The Netherlands managed to score after five and a half minutes of play, but shortly thereafter, Hungary was awarded a penalty shot, which Vince Vigvari converted to extend the lead to 5:1. Still, the Dutch came back into the match, scoring three consecutive goals in just 102 seconds. Van der Weijden found the net from a long distance, narrowing the gap to 4:5 with only 13 seconds remaining in the first quarter. However, in the dying seconds of the quarter, the Dutch committed another penalty foul. This time, Vendel Vigvari sent the ball home for 6:4.
In the second quarter, the Hungarians strengthened their defense. They executed a crucial 3:0 run between the 11th and 15th minutes, increasing their lead from 7:5 to 10:5. By halftime, the score was 11:6. After a quick exchange of goals at the start of the second half (12:7), Vendel Vigvari scored in man-up attack. Adam Nagy then found the back of the net on a counterattack, expanding Hungary’s lead to seven goals for the first time at 14:7. From then on, the gap never shrank to fewer than six goals. Krisztian Manhercz opened the final period with a goal from another counterattack, giving Hungary a double-digit advantage for the first time (18:8). Although the Netherlands managed to narrow the gap, Hungary quickly regained their 10-goal lead.
Greece – Japan 20:10 (7:4, 3:3, 4:2, 6:1)
Greece: Argyropoulos 4, Kalogeropoulos 4, Kakariss 3, Nikolaidis 3, Papanikolaou 2, Genidounias 1, Gkiouetsis 1, Pouros 1, Giannatos 1.
Japan: Watanabe 5, Inaba 2, Adachi 1, Inoue 1, Takata 1.
The match was similar to many that Japan has played against European favorites in recent years. The Japanese put their opponents to the test, but they were unable to maintain their performance until the end. Their resistance started to fade midway through the third quarter.
The match was similar to many that Japan has played against European favorites in recent years. The Japanese put their opponents to the test, but they were unable to maintain their performance until the end. Their resistance started to fade midway through the third quarter.
Japan was never ahead, but it equalized twice in the first quarter—1:1 and 3:3. After Watanabe scored the third goal for Japan in the fourth minute, Greece made a more significant difference for the first time. Argyropoulos scored from a penalty shot for 4:3. In the following minutes, the Greeks added three action goals. Pouros ended a 4:0 series, making it 7:3 with 22 seconds remaining in the first period.
However, the Japanese didn’t surrender (What else would you expect of them?). The Asians halved the deficit to 6:8 early in the second quarter and again at 7:9. Kakaris closed the first quarter with an action goal for 10:7. Japan was chasing the Greeks until the middle of the third quarter (in the 20th minute, Japan trailed 8:11). Then, Greece made an 8:1 run to earn a ten-goal advantage – 19:9 (31st minute). Each side scored a goal apiece in the last 22 seconds.
Schedule
Follow all the results live on Total Waterpolo Arena
Semifinals (April 12)
Semifinals
Hungary – Greece at 18.20
Spain – Croatiaat 20.30
Semifinals 5th – 8th place
Netherlands- Japan 14.00
Germany – Montenegro 16.10
Final day (April 3)
7th-place match at 14.00
5th-place match at 16.10
Bronze-medal match at 18.20
Final at 20.30
The teams qualified for the 2025 World Championships
Olympic Games (3 teams): Serbia (gold), Croatia (silver), USA (bronze)
World Cup (3 teams): Spain, Hungary, Greece.
European Championships (3 teams): Italy (bronze medal), Montenegro (6th place) and Romania (8th place)
Asian Championships (2 teams): Japan (gold) and China (silver).
Pan American Championships (2 teams): Brazil (gold) and Canada (silver).
Oceania (1 team): Australia
Africa (1 team): South Africa
Host (1 team): Singapore
More articles about the World Cup and the former World League
