"Furija" is not threatened: Can the "Sharks" get the best out of the duel with the absolute favorite

The only advantage is relief - the water polo team of Montenegro meets Spain, the current European champion and probably the best team on the planet, in the quarter-finals of the World Championship in Doha (14 p.m.)

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Against the favorites for the semi-finals: Montenegrin water polo players, Photo: MTB-PHOTO
Against the favorites for the semi-finals: Montenegrin water polo players, Photo: MTB-PHOTO
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Montenegrin water polo players have always been among the favorites to go to the Olympic Games, but the tension brought by the fight to go to Paris lasted until Sunday afternoon when the team Vladimir Gojković after a complicated match with Romania in the round of 16 of the World Cup, he finally got what he wanted and what, after all, he deserved...

The "Sharks" are going to the OI, they are among the top eight at the world championship and now that they finally have no worries at the mere thought of the City of Light, I guess they can get the best out of the duel with the absolute favorite Spain - a rival for the semi-finals of the tournament in Doha.

Matches with objectively better opponents can often be the easiest, so Montenegro sees precisely in this relief the chance to create problems for the "red fury", according to many the best team on the planet. It is the current champion of Europe and the team that, from 2018 to today, reached at least the semi-finals in all major competitions.

Water polo national team of Montenegro
photo: MTB-PHOTO

Our national team and the Spanish national team have been meeting often lately, and as a rule, the team he leads wins David Martin. She was better recently in the group at the European Championship (14:12), last summer at the WC in Fukuoka (11:7), and the selected Vladimir Gojković they have been waiting for a triumph for more than four years - ever since the World League duel when they won 11:6 in Oviedo. It was tense in the summer of 2022 in the quarter-finals of the WC in Budapest when Spain won 7:6, a few days later and won the cup...

"It is not difficult to prepare for such a rival"

Everything has been said about the qualities of the Spaniards a long time ago - they are led by masters Felipe Perone i Alvaro Granados, Rođer Taulj, Alberto Munaris...

- I think we can get a lot from this game. I want us to hold out until the end of the match, be equal and try to make a surprise - said Gojković.

Big danger for the 'Sharks': Alvaro Granados
Big danger for the "sharks": Alvaro Granadosphoto: LEN Water Polo (X)

Spain secured a visa for the Olympic Games with the title at the European Championship. Recently, in the final in Zagreb, they defeated Croatia, thanks to the mastery of Granados in the very finish.

- The Spaniards are an exceptional selection - individually and as a team. They are phenomenally organized and surely all the results they achieve are not accidental. It is not difficult to prepare for such an opponent, you simply have to be focused for 32 minutes and be close to the maximum. That's why we need the help of all 13 players - said Gojković.

"Going to Paris is a great achievement"

After the victory over Romania, everyone in our team was relieved.

- Going to the Olympics is, in my opinion, a great success - for Montenegrin water polo and Montenegrin sports. The water polo selection is going to the Olympic Games for the fifth time in a row, and I think that this is a really great achievement from the environment we are in - the legendary ace is clear and added:

- That's why I have to congratulate the players once again. It's a huge stress when you spend two months preparing for just one competition, and now we had to do two in less than a month. We are happy that we have fulfilled the goal and all this can only be an additional impulse in their careers and a motive to be even better - concluded Gojković.

Perković: We have the desire, and I hope the strength

Spanish water polo players defeated the "sharks" 14:12 in the group at the European Championship in mid-January, who were in the game until the middle of the last quarter. Now it's time for the World Cup showdown and the fight for the semi-finals - the winner of this duel will meet with the better one from the match between Italy and Greece.

Perkovic
Perkovicphoto: Aleksandra Krupanič

- Spain may be the best team in the world at the moment, but I think we showed in the last games that we can match them. We have the desire, I hope we have the strength - we will do our best and we hope that the result will come. We achieved our primary goal by qualifying for the Olympic Games, but we don't want to stop there - said Montenegrin center Miroslav Perković.

The derby comes two days after a tough match with Romania in the round of 16.

- Maybe Romania doesn't give the impression of a top team, but its players were very well prepared, and they had nothing to lose. In any case, we took off that big burden, going to Paris was imperative. It's easier now - added Perković.

World Cup quarterfinals

Today

Spain - Montenegro 14 p.m

Greece - Italy 15.30:XNUMX p.m

Serbia - Croatia 17.00:XNUMX

Hungary - France 18.30:XNUMX p.m

Semi-final

Spain - Montenegro/Greece - Italy 14 p.m

Serbia - Croatia/Hungary - France 15.30:XNUMX p.m

Bonus video: