The Croatian national water polo team played an excellent game in Split on Saturday and in a large turn around defeated Serbia with 9:7 (2:3,3:1,3:1,1:2) in the 4th round of the Europa Cup.
The key periods were the second and third when Croatia came back from a 2:4 score to 8:5, leaving Serbia without a goal for 12 minutes. “Congratulations to the boys, I feel we’ve shown fantastic grit. There were mistakes, the players are tired and burdened with matches in the championship and national team,” said selector Ivica Tucak and added: “But we’ve clawed our way out against an opponent we always like to defeat,” as Matija Majdak reported for Večernji List on February 18, 2018.
Serbia players blamed the defeat on poor scheduling and called out the organizers: “Three matches in 24 hours. Inhumane. When we had strength, we had game,” said Serbian player Miloš Ćuk. Croatia played its final game in the Europa Cup on Sunday, defeating Malta with 16:5 (5:0,4:1,4:2,3:2), with four goals by Vrlić, three by Lončar and two each by Fatović, Zović and Joković, and single goals by Bušlje, Šetka and Benić.
Translated from Večernji List.
