Croatia U16 Dominates Egypt
Young water polo players coached by Bruno Sabioni convincingly defeated Egypt 15:3. In the semifinals, they face old rivals Serbia at the Mladost pool, and the coach calls on fans to fill the stands.
Young water polo players coached by Bruno Sabioni convincingly defeated Egypt 15:3. In the semifinals, they face old rivals Serbia at the Mladost pool, and the coach calls on fans to fill the stands.
Croatia's under-16 water polo team has secured a spot in the semifinals of the World Championship being held in Zagreb. In the quarterfinal played on Friday, August 7, 2026, they defeated Egypt with a convincing 15:3, while Serbia edged out Brazil 11:7 in their match.
The Saturday semifinal clash (August 8) between Croatia and Serbia is scheduled for 7:00 PM at the covered Mladost pool by the Sava River. It will be another chapter in the long-standing rivalry between the two water polo powerhouses, this time for a place in the final.
Bruno Sabioni's squad dominated from the very start. By quarters, the score grew steadily: 2:0, 5:1, 5:2, and 3:0. The Egyptians scored their first goal only in the 12th minute, i.e., in the final minute of the second quarter, when the scoreboard already read 6:0 in Croatia's favor.
Egypt could have taken an early lead and gone 1:0 up, but Croatian goalkeeper Luka Vezilić, in fine form, saved a penalty. The statistics further illustrate Croatia's superiority. For their three goals, the Egyptians took 26 shots on goal, while Croatia needed 25 attempts for their 15 goals. Croatia's man-up conversion was nearly perfect (7-9), whereas Egypt capitalized on only one of four such opportunities (1-4).
Duje Srzić was named the best player and top scorer of the match with three goals. Deni Sappe, Vito Lokas, Ante Domazet, and Roko Koncul each added two, while Tomo Bošnjak, Petar Lončarić, Patrik Kundid, and Bartol Smoje each scored once.
Head coach Bruno Sabioni did not hide his satisfaction with the qualification but stressed that the job is not done. "We've made it to the top four, but now we all need to calm down. When you've come this far, you want to go all the way, that's clear," Sabioni told Sportske novosti.
He also commented on the upcoming opponent, a team his side knows well. "We played against Serbia during preparations in their country, as well as two matches in Varaždin. We know each other very well, and I believe it will be a one-goal game. We'll analyze them thoroughly to be at our best against them on Saturday. I invite all fans to fill the stands and give us their support," the coach said.
