After the first match in Doha with the United States of America, Montenegrin water polo players played the best match at the World Championship - in the end, however, they were unlucky to defeat one of the strongest teams on the planet.
At the start of the playoffs, the "Sharks" were defeated by Greece - 14:13, after five minutes.
"A well-played match, we were engaged from start to finish, which was not the case in the past when we were fighting for the 5th to 8th place," said coach Vladimir Gojković after the match.
Greece played in the World Cup final in Fukuoka a little more than half a year ago, and that perhaps best describes what kind of team it is.
"We played against a fantastic team, and I would say that we used the game in the right way, because the players are preparing for the Olympic Games where there is no easy opponent," added Gojković.
In the match for 7th place, Montenegro will play against the loser of the duel Serbia - Hungary. If they are "dolphins", the match will also have a competitive importance, because the winner will end up in a more favorable hat in the draw for the Olympic Games.
"I'm sorry that we were defeated after penalty kicks, we chased Greece in the second half, we had good energy and we will try to play another game at this level," concluded Gojković.
Vlado Popadić gave Montenegro five points four seconds before the end, but he was one of the unlucky ones in the penalty shootout.
"In the end, I missed the penalty, but it was a good game, we kept up with an exceptional national team, which deserves to be in the top four in terms of quality," said Popadić.
Because of one thing, our defender is particularly pleased...
"We showed that we can come back mentally and play with good teams," Popadić concluded.
Bonus video:
