Serbian water polo players were defeated by Greece 16:15 (3:4, 4:7, 6:3, 3:1) in the second round of the group stage of the World Cup. The “Dolphins” will have to seek a triumph in the final round against Hungary in order to qualify for the final tournament.
Serbia was led by captain Nikola Jakšić with four goals. Vasilije Martinović scored the same number of goals, while Nemanja Stanojević added three goals. On the other side, Stylianos Argyropoulos stood out with as many as six goals scored.
The reigning European champions opened the game well and had a one-goal lead after eight minutes of play. It seemed that Uroš Stevanović’s men were breaking the opponent in the second quarter as a 7:1 run followed. However, in the final two minutes of the first half, the Greeks managed to score three goals and reduce the deficit to -4.
Serbia looked secure at the start of the second half, but the “Hellenes” managed to erase the deficit very easily and fully return to the match. A 4-0 run brought the equalizer (13-13), while Vasilije Martinović scored a goal for the “Dolphins'” lead entering the final eight minutes.
At that point, the tournament host tightened their defense. The Greeks scored three goals in the final quarter and conceded only one, thus reaching a triumph against our national team after a major comeback.
Serbia thus missed the opportunity to secure a visa for the World Cup finals, which will be played in June in Sydney. Our water polo players will play the last match in Group A against Hungary on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m.
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Source: Euronews, Photo: EPA / BOGLARKA BODNAR