Young Zadar water polo player Duje Srzić scored two crucial goals in the U16 World Championship final, including the equalizer at 7:7 that sparked Croatia's winning run against Spain.
Croatia's men's U16 water polo team achieved a historic success by winning the world championship title. In the final played at the packed SRC Mladost pool in Zagreb, the team led by head coach Bruno Sabioni defeated the defending champions, Spain, with a score of 10:7.
One of the key players in winning the gold medal was Duje Srzić, a player from the Zadar club Zadar 1952. The young national team player scored two goals in the final, and his second goal, the equalizer at 7:7, proved to be the turning point of the match, after which Croatia finished the game with a 4:0 run and reached the world title.
"The final was indescribable. We celebrated every goal, every ball we won we celebrated as if it were the last. We fought to the end and gave our all together. If it hadn't been for that, we wouldn't have beaten Spain," Srzić told Zadarski list after the historic victory.
In an extremely tense match, neither team managed to build a lead of more than one goal until the very end. The Spanish took a 7:6 lead with a goal from Adrià López when only 3:24 minutes remained. On the next attack, Srzić scored to make it 7:7, and the Croatian defense, led by goalkeeper Luka Vezilić, became impenetrable in the last three minutes.
Ante Domazet, who led the Croatian scorers with three goals and was named the best player of the final, gave Croatia an 8:7 lead just over two minutes before the end. The key moment came 50 seconds before the buzzer when Deni Sappe, named the best player of the entire championship, scored to make it a two-goal lead. The final 10:7 was set by Patrik Kundid, who also scored two goals, while Petar Lončarić and Andrija Bujas each added one.
Srzić played excellently throughout the tournament, particularly standing out in the quarterfinal against Egypt, where he scored three goals and earned the award for the best player of the match. "Throughout the entire championship, we gave our all and through every victory showed how much we can achieve when we are together. As a team, we supported each other and believed in one another," added the young national team player.
He did not forget to credit those who supported him on the road to world gold. "I am satisfied with my performance, but none of this would have been possible without the support of my coaches and my family. I dedicate this victory to all the coaches from Zadar who trained me and followed me throughout my entire journey. I especially want to thank my family and all my friends who gave me support," said Srzić.
Head coach Bruno Sabioni revealed that he slept peacefully the night before the final, believing in his players. "After all the past month of preparations, problems, and efforts, do you know when I slept the best and most peacefully? The last two nights! Because we were finally complete, because we had settled everything. The most peaceful two days of my life," Sabioni told hvs.hr, adding that he knew his team could win the gold because they were playing at home.
Deni Sappe, the best player of the championship, highlighted the special charm of this medal, given that he had already won gold with the U18 generation, but did not play then due to illness. "I won gold with the U18 boys, but I didn't play there because I was sick the whole championship. That's why I'm even more satisfied now. I'm full of emotions, I feel great, I don't even know how to react," said Sappe.
Srzić thus became the second player from Zadar 1952 to win a medal with the youth national teams, after Toni Galušić, who last month won the world championship title with the U18 team in Portugal. Croatia now has two generations of world champions this year. In the bronze medal match, Serbia defeated the USA 13:11 after a penalty shootout.
