Let the last quarter of the duel with Croatia be a guide - if the Montenegrin water polo players repeat the game from those eight minutes against the favorites for the medal, it's all a matter of routine in the key match against Germany in the last round of Group A at the European Championship.
The "Sharks" already know that they will play in the round of XNUMX of the EP, but it is fundamentally very important from which position they will reach the first step of the knockout phase of the competition in Budapest. A victory or a draw in the match with the "panzers" brings, namely, second place and a match with Turkey (the third-placed team of group C), a defeat would "sentence" Vladimir Gojković's team to a clash with one of the favorites - Hungary or Spain.
Therefore, it is clear why immediately after the draw for the European Championship, the match with Germany was declared a key battle on the way to the qualification for the Olympic Games (for this, a place in the top eight for the European Championship is required).
- The Germans are a team that we must not underestimate, although we cannot underestimate anyone, especially teams at that level. They play more aggressively than other national teams, but I hope we will win - says Dragan Drašković.
Center Stefan Pješivac knows the Germans best of all national team members, because he is a member of Spandau Berlin. And he knows how uncomfortable they can be…
- They play physically very demanding water polo. They will "pluck", and if the judges don't punish it, then it can be difficult. They have the quality to surprise everyone, including us. I believe that we will adapt and prepare well for an important match - emphasized Pješivac, who also referred to the match with the Croats:
- I don't think we played that badly, but that we didn't use the chances. We were in some spasm, which is probably why we had a bad realization. We had a great comeback, which will mean a lot to us in the next matches. We showed that we can deal with them, and when we can deal with them - we can deal with everyone - said the debutant at major competitions.
Germany has progressed, but this is a match in which, after all, the most depends on the release of the Montenegrin selection. The quality is absolutely on the side of the "sharks", it was seen exactly two weeks ago in Podgorica when they defeated the same rival in the preparatory tournament 19:11.
Whether Germany has more respect than Montenegro than it deserves will become clearer today, but in our water polo, failures are not easily forgotten, not even the one from the 2009 World Championship in Rome when the Germans celebrated in the round of XNUMX after the five-a-side.
It was a sensation on top of sensations, because Montenegro went to the Eternal City as the first favorite for the title... That slap is well remembered by three aces from the current team - selector Gojković, who was wearing a cap at the time, and Aleksandar Ivović and Draško Brguljan.
Šćepanović: Match of the year
The match of the year - that's how important the duel with the Germans is, says a member of the coaching staff, Miloš Šćepanović.
- This match is more important than anything. The match with Croatia was important to try to play against one of the best teams in the world. Sorry we didn't get to the point, but nothing would have changed. Victory over Germany brings us what we want - said Šćepanović.
You know whose side the quality is on.
- We are a better team, more prepared in every sense. Everyone expects to win, but the boys will be under a lot of pressure. I believe that he will withstand everything and win - said Šćepanović.
Defender Uroš Čučković regrets the match against Croatia.
- We were close, but we have to forget that game. We beat the Germans in Podgorica, but I believe they didn't show everything they could, although neither did we. It will be different, much tighter, and the referees will allow the game with more duels. We are ready for it, we know what awaits us and we are only interested in winning - Čučković is clear.
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