POWERFUL DOLPHINS SANK THE FRENCH: Serbian Water Polo Players Step Toward the European Championship Semifinals!

The Serbian national water polo team managed to secure a very dominant victory in the first match of the second phase of the European Championship, defeating France 14–10 and thus returning to second place in the group.

Serbia could not count on Dušan Mandić in this match either, but it seems that his absence was not felt too much against a team where Serbia was a huge favorite before the game. The Dolphins were confident from the very start until the end of the match, although the Tricolors did have their chances.

With this victory, Serbia managed to return to second place in the group, and thus currently holds a position that promises a semifinal ahead of the clash with Hungary, which could also prove to be crucial.

The Dolphins had an uncertain and not particularly impressive start, but over time they improved their form and their play, and by halftime they already had a significant advantage.

As was the case in the match against the Netherlands, a somewhat weaker opening and slightly poorer play were evident. However, Serbia also had the good fortune that France does not have the same quality as the Netherlands, which caused problems even for Hungary.

In the key moments of the match, Serbia performed well both offensively and defensively, so the victory was never in doubt. In terms of scorers, Radomir Drašović was the best with three goals, while Strahinja Rašović, Nikola Jakšić, and Nikola Dedović each scored two. Milan Glušac was solid in goal with five saves, while Filipović had two. For France, Tomas Vernu stood out with four goals, while goalkeeper Hugo Fontani recorded 11 saves.

As for the match itself, Serbia was trailing at the very beginning, as Vernu scored for 2–1, but then Rašović, Dedović, and Ćuk brought Serbia a 4–2 lead at the end of the first eight minutes.

Already at the start of the second quarter, Serbia connected three goals through Drašović, Rašović, and Vico, reaching a commanding 7–2, and it seemed that everything was going in Serbia’s favor. The French responded to some extent through the excellent Vernu, for whom Serbia had few solutions, and at halftime Serbia held a 9–4 lead.

Vernu reduced the deficit at the opening of the second half, but once again Serbia went on a run to extend the lead to 12–5, before Marion-Vernu scored to make it 12–6.

The Dolphins entered the final eight minutes somewhat uncertainly, allowing the French an opportunity to get back into the game, but Uroš Stevanović put an end to that with a timeout.

In the end, Serbia recorded a dominant victory and opened the second phase of the competition with a win.