Croatian U-16 Water Polo Team Wins World Gold in Zagreb
Croatia's U-16 water polo team defeated Spain 10-7 in a dramatic World Championship final in front of a home crowd to claim the gold medal.
Croatia's U-16 water polo team defeated Spain 10-7 in a dramatic World Championship final in front of a home crowd to claim the gold medal.
Croatia's U-16 water polo team has won the world championship title. In the final of the World Championship held in Zagreb, the young 'Barakudas' defeated Spain 10-7, crowning their tournament performance in the best possible way. Among the celebrants are three Jug players: Vlaho Rajčević, Roko Koncul, and Petar Lončarić, with goalkeeper Luko Vezilić wearing the captain's armband, who celebrated his 16th birthday on the day of the final.
The final was marked by exceptionally strong defenses and complete parity almost until the very end. The first quarter ended 1-1, the second 3-3, and the third also 3-3, which speaks volumes about the intensity of the battle the Croatian water polo players waged against the reigning world champions. Until then, neither team had managed to lead by more than one goal, so the last six minutes began with a tense 6-6. Spain put up a strong resistance and kept pace for most of the match, but Croatia remained calm and focused in the crucial moments.
According to 24sata Sport, the turning point came two minutes before the end when Domazet finished a phenomenal play to score for an 8-7 lead. Croatia then successfully defended, and a minute before the end, Deni Sappe sprinted on a counter-attack and scored for a significant 9-7. The final score of 10-7 was set by Kundid, sealing the world champion title.
According to Telegram.hr, in the final moments of the match, the Spaniards committed a foul in the attacking phase, and Croatia's goalkeeper passed the ball to Deni Sappe, who broke free in front of Spain's goal and scored for the final celebration. Until the end of the match, Croatia scored one more goal and ultimately celebrated with a three-goal difference. The key moment came 50 seconds before the buzzer when Sappe escaped on a counter-attack, went one-on-one with the Spanish goalkeeper, and found the net for 9-7. Vezilić then recorded his fifth save of the match, and Patrik Kundid set the final 10-7 on the other end. Three and a half minutes before the end, Spain took a 7-6 lead through Adrià López from a counter-attack, but Croatia responded immediately: Duje Srzić equalized with a brilliant shot under the crossbar to make it 7-7, and Ante Domazet then scored on a set play to put Croatia back in front. Domazet was Croatia's top scorer in the final with three goals, while Srzić and Kundid each scored two.
The team led by coach Bruno Sabioni achieved a fantastic result, especially after defeating Serbia 12-11 in a dramatic semifinal and then outplaying the reigning world champions in the final. In this way, Croatian water polo continues its outstanding run of results in youth categories at major tournaments. After the U-18 team won the world gold earlier in the summer, the U-16 generation has now also claimed the world champion title, confirming the superiority of the Croatian water polo school. In just 40 days, Croatia has won world champion titles in the U-16 and U-18 age groups, which is truly an impressive streak.
