June 23, 2022 - Croatia beats Germany in the 2nd round of the FINA World Championships in Hungary. 

Croatia and Germany met tonight in the 2nd round of the FINA World Championships played in Debrecen on Thursday night. 

After drawing against Greece, Croatia was hungry to get their first victory against a weaker national team. Recall, in the first round, Croatia and Greece finished 8:8, while Germany lost to Japan.

After the first round, Japan led the standings with two points, Croatia and Greece had one each, and Germany was without points. Greece and Japan play tonight at 19:30. 

A spot in the quarterfinals is won only by the winner of the group, while the second and third-placed teams play in the round of 16. 

Match Report 

1st quarter

Vrlic scored Croatia's first goal in the first 20 seconds of the match. Kharkov scored for 2:0 with 6:00 minutes left on the clock. Germany scored for 2:1 with 3:35 to go in the first quarter. Croatia captain Krapic made with 3:1 with 3:06 left and again for 4:1 with 1:15 on the clock. The first quarter ended 4:1 for Croatia. 

2nd quarter 

Fatovic scored his first goal of the World Champs with 7:00 to go on the clock in the 2nd quarter. It was 5:1 for Croatia. Zuvela scored his first goal of the match for 6:1 and 5:04 left. Fatovic scored for 7:1 with 3:17 left. Kragic scored for 8:1 with 0:58 left until halftime. Germany made it 8:2 with 0:25 left. The second quarter ended 8:2 for Croatia. 

3rd quarter

Germany won the sprint to open the 3rd quarter and scored for 8:3 in the first 30 seconds. Bukic scored for 9:3 with 5:56 left. Basic scored for 10:3 with 4:57 to go. Germany made it 10:4 with 4 minutes on the cock. The third quarter ended 10:4 for Croatia. 

4th quarter 

Croatia won the sprint in the final quarter. Germany scored for 10:5 with 5:55 left in the match and again for 10:6 with 4:02 left. Germany was just 3 goals behind with 3:07 left in the match - 10:7. Basic scored for 11:7 with 2:48 on the clock, but Germany scored again for 11:8 with 2:24 left. Another brilliant strike from Basic gave Croatia some peace in the final two minutes - 12:8. Buric made it 13:8 with just over a minute left. Germany was given a penalty with 0:35 on the clock and scored for 13:9. The match ended 13:9 for Croatia. 

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June 21, 2022 - Croatia and Greece finished 8:8 in the first match of the 2022 FINA World Championships in Hungary. 

The Croatia water polo team opened their performance at the 2022 FINA World Championships in Hungary tonight against Greece. Croatia kicked off the competition with seven new names on the team.

The 2022 World Championship is Croatia's 13th appearance since Croatian independence. Croatia has won 7 medals from the last 12 World Championships, sharing second place with Italy and Spain, which are significantly older countries. Hungary is the best with 11 medals won. 

Ivica Tucaks' team first faced the current Olympic silver medalist, Greece. Croatia also plays against Germany and Japan in Debrecen.

The winner of each group will advance directly to the quarterfinals, while the second and third-placed national teams play the round of 16.

Match Report 

Croatia won the sprint but was unsuccessful in its first attack to get a goal. Greece went up 1:0 with 6:39 on the clock. 

Croatia's shot was blocked in the next attack and Zuvela shot over the post to keep Greece ahead. 

Russian-born Kharkov equalized for Croatia at 1:1 with 5:05 to go in the first quarter. Greece went ahead 2:1 in the next attack. Vukicevic missed in Croatia's next attack. 

Greece went up to 3:1 with 3:11 to go in the first quarter. Both of Croatia's shots were blocked in the next play. 

Greece made it 4:1 with 15 seconds to go, which is how the first quarter ended. 

Greece hit the post to open the second quarter which was lucky for Croatia, but Greece's defense was not kind to Croatia's next attack. 

Zuvela finally scored for 4:2 with 4:48 to go in the second quarter and Buric made it 4:3 with 4:02 to go! 

Kharkov made it 5:5 for Croatia with 1:47 to go, which is how the match went into halftime.  

Croatia was unable to score in their first attack of the third quarter, and Greece retook the lead at 6:5 with 5:59 to go. 

Kragic scored brilliantly for 6:6 with 3:45 on the clock and goalkeeper Bijac stopped Greece's next attack. 

Greece retook the lead at 7:6 with 1:43 left and Croatia was unable to score in the following attack, ending the third quarter 7:6 for Greece. 

Four minutes into the final quarter and neither team had scored. Zuvela finally equalized for 7:7 with 3:48 left in the match. 

Greece scored for 8:7 with 3:08 to go but Basic scored for 8:8 with 1:55 on the clock! 

Greece hit the post and Croatia missed the goal with less than a minute left.  Greece missed with 0:26 left, giving Croatia the attack and chance to win, but was unable to score. The match ended 8:8. 

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May 18, 2022 - The 2022 Water Polo World Championships will be held in Hungary from June 18 to July 3, 2022, with Croatia playing the first part of the competition in Debrecen, where Group B will compete. Croatia will play against Greece (June 21), Germany (June 23), and Japan (June 25).

"Over time, according to FINA rules, we will narrow down that list and determine the final 13 players who will travel to the World Champs in Hungary. As we know, we will never have shorter preparations and less time to work with a very young team," said Ivica Tucak, who persists in his intention to create a new, significantly rejuvenated national team.

"Nevertheless, we will continue to be the team with the greatest ambitions. Those preparations before leaving for the World Champs lasting only ten days, as well as the end of the club season in which our players come as exhausted as possible, are not in our favor, but it's the same for us and other national teams," Tucak added. 

"We are gathering a new national team, so I hope that in that extremely short time we will be able to correct the mistakes we noticed at the World League tournament in Podgorica and are ready to welcome the World Champs. However, the main focus of the Croatia water polo team this summer will be the European Championships in Split (August 27 - September 10) and a rather busy schedule awaits us this summer," Tucak said.

Preparations for the World Championships begin on June 14 in Pula with the Croatia - Italy match, followed by a short gathering in Zagreb and a trip to Hungary. European Championship preparations start on July 18 in Kranj and Maribor, followed by the tournament in Cagliari, preparations in Šibenik, and a tournament in Belgrade. Finally, on August 24, Croatia gathers for the European Championships in Split.

GOALKEEPERS
1. Marko Bijač (Olympiacos)
2. Ivan Marcelić (Jadran)
3. Toni Popadić (Jug Adriatic osiguranje)
4. Jerko Jurlina (Mladost)
5. Marin Šparada (Solaris)

CENTERS
6. Ivan Krapić (Noisy-le-Sec)
7. Josip Vrlić (Radnički)
8. Lovro Paparić (Vouliagmeni)
9. Antonio Dužević (Jadran)

DEFENDERS
10. Hrvoje Benić (Jug Adriatic osiguranje)
11. Marko Žuvela (Jug Adriatic osiguranje)
12. Kristijan Milaković (Szolnok)
13. Matias Biljaka (Mladost)

ATTACKERS
14. Luka Bukić (Jadran)
15. Loren Fatović (Jug Adriatic osiguranje)
16. Ante Vukičević (Marseille)
17. Jerko Marinić Kragić (Jadran)
18. Konstantin Harkov (Jadran)
19. Rino Burić (Jadran)
20. Ivan Domagoj Zović (Szolnok)
21. Franko Lazić (Mladost)
22. Andrija Bašić (Palermo)
23. Jerko Penava (Solaris)
24. Zvonimir Butić (Jadran)
25. Filip Kržić (Jug Adriatic osiguranje)
26. Dario Rakovac (Mladost)

Source: HVS

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April 30, 2022 - The Croatia men's water polo team took 6th place in the final tournament of the World League European qualifications, which is being held in Podgorica. Croatia lost the match for fifth place to Hungary on Saturday 9-14 (1-3, 3-1, 2-5, 3-5 ).

Jerko Marinić Kragić scored three goals for Croatia, while Ivan Krapić, Ivan Domagoj Zović, Luka Bukić, Josip Vrlić, Hrvoje Benić, and Konstantin Harkov added one goal each. Hungary was led by Marton Vamos with four goals and Gergely Burian with three goals.

"This is a new team after all. A lot of players have ‘retired’ when it comes to national water polo. There are a lot of new players, and I am finally among them. The goal in Podgorica was to work mostly on the team part of tactics, technique, and even some other things outside the pool. To become a real ‘klapa’. Therefore, when it is put in order, everything will be as it should be. This tournament was good for us to see where we are and what we are, since we didn't have much time to prepare. We still have a lot to fix. I think that the Croatia national team must aim for the highest success and I think we will achieve that. The process is long, it is not easy, but we will succeed. We have time to do all this, we have time to come to the next gathering, if I'm not mistaken, on June 5. We are all eager, hungry and thirsty for success," Jerko Marinić Kragić emphasized after the match for HVS.

Qualifying for the final World League tournament, which will be held from July 23 to 29 in Strasbourg, will be won by the three first-placed national teams from the tournament in Podgorica. Namely, the match for fifth place did not matter.

Italy and Serbia took two of the three places with victories in the semifinals on Friday, while Montenegro and Spain will play for the third-place later on Saturday. Earlier, France, the USA, Canada, Brazil, and Australia won a spot in the final tournament.

Source: HRT

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April 29, 2022 - Italy defeated Croatia 8:6 in the water polo World League quarterfinals in Podgorica on Thursday. Croatia will now face France tonight at 5 pm. 

In the first game of the European final tournament of this season's World League, Italy defeated Croatia 8:6. With this result, Italy advanced to the semifinals, while the Barracudas will continue to compete for 5th to 8th place, reports HVS.

Fortunately, this tournament only acts as prep for upcoming major competitions such as the World Champs in Hungary and the European Championships in Split. 

Croatia did not lead for a single moment in the match and only managed to equalize once (Vukičević for 1:1 with an extra man).

Croatia struggled in the attack for the first three quarters and Italian goalkeeper Marco Del Lungo was brilliant in goal, recording 15 saves total. Croatia, on the other hand, had 31 attempts and only 6 goals. 

"Unfortunately, the beginning was not good for us. It’s not easy to play when you lose the whole game. You try to go back, that's where a lot of energy is spent," said Luka Bukić after the match. 

"In the end, we even came to just a few goals, but Italy still managed to score a goal that secured or confirmed their victory. The biggest problem today was certainly in the attack. We need to see where we all went wrong and how to fix it," he added. 

After 1:1 in the first 8 minutes, Italy took the lead at 4:1, 5:2, and then before the last quarter led 7:2. 

In the last quarter, Croatia woke up and even threatened to return completely. In the last five and a half minutes, Croatia used four consecutive extra man plays, and with the goals of Krapić, Burić, Vrlić, and Benić, they were only one goal behind or 7:6 for Italy. There are only 53 seconds left until the end, but the Italian left-hander, otherwise Argentine Gonzalo Echenique scored in the right corner of Marcelić's goal for the final 8:6 for Italy.

Coach Ivica Tucak left behind Jerko Marinić Kragić and Franko Lazić from the players he took to Podgorica. Croatia will play the next match in Podgorica on Friday, April 29 at 5 pm against France who lost to Montenegro on Thursday 

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April 13, 2022 - The Croatia men's water polo team will play in Group B at the 2022 World Water Polo Championships in Hungary (June 18-July 3) against Greece, Germany, and Japan, according to last night's draw in Budapest.

"We got a group in which we are big favorites along with Greece, of course, not underestimating Japan and Germany. I followed Germany this year through the World League games, where they did not impress. However, they have a very good Montenegrin coach, and we will have to be well prepared for them.

We don't have a lot of information about Japan, but it is a team that is always very tough and plays with its own specific pressure," commented coach Ivica Tucak, adding:

"Our wishes are always the same: to go to the end and win a medal. There is time to prepare everything well, and I hope that we will be completely ready to welcome the start of the World Champs."

In addition to the coach, the President of the Croatian Water Polo Federation, Perica Bukić, and a member of the Management Board, Ratko Rudić, attended the draw in Budapest.

"I would say that this is a medium-strong group. We know that Greece is an Olympic finalist, while Germany and Japan are teams of somewhat lower quality, but who know how to play with everyone. Therefore, they need to be one hundred percent ready to beat them. The Croatia-Greece match will mean a lot because the first place brings an easier opponent in the quarterfinals, and, of course, the round of 16 is avoided. The team who will be second in the group, apart from appearing in the round of 16, can also expect Serbia in the quarterfinals, which is one of the strongest national teams in the championship," said Perica Bukić.

Namely, the competition system is the same as always. So, first place goes directly to the quarterfinals, while the second and third-place teams from each group play the round of 16. Croatia's group crosses over with Group A, while the first-place finishers from Group B will play in the quarterfinals against the C3 - D2 match-winner.

"We have a good experience in Budapest, we took the title of world champion there in 2017, and we hope that the games and results after this World Champs will also be good for our national team," concluded Bukić.

2022 World Water Polo Championships - Group Stage

GROUP A (Budapest): Hungary, Brazil, Montenegro, Georgia

GROUP B (Debrecen): CROATIA, Greece, Japan, Germany

GROUP C (Sopron): Italy, Spain, Canada, South Africa

GROUP D (Szeged): Serbia, Australia, USA, Kazakhstan

Match schedule:

21.6. 19:30 Greece - Croatia
23.6. 18:00 Croatia - Germany
25.6. 18:00 Japan - Croatia

The men's water polo tournament starts on June 21 in Debrecen, the second-largest city in Hungary (220,000 inhabitants), to the far east, very close to the border with Romania. The finals are held in Budapest and end on July 3. 

Source: HVS

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November 18, 2021 - Croatia has learned who they are up against in the FINA Water Polo World League European qualifications next year, beginning in January 2022. 

The Croatia water polo team will play against Greece and Russia in Group D to qualify for the Water Polo World League in 2022, which was decided in a draw of European groups held on Wednesday at the International Water Sports Organization (FINA) headquarters in the Swiss city of Lausanne.

In Group A are Hungary, Montenegro, and Romania; in Group B, Germany, France, and Spain; and Group C Serbia, Italy, and Slovakia.

The Croatia national team will play the first match on January 18 away against the gold medalist at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Greece. The second match will be played at home against Russia, on February 15 next year. After that, Russia and Greece will play in the 3rd round of Group D. 

Two national teams from each group move forward. In the quarterfinals, groups A and B crossover with groups C and D. The winners of the quarterfinal matches advance to the final FINA World League tournament.

Water polo group draw:

GROUP A: Hungary, Montenegro, Romania

GROUP B: Germany, France, Spain

GROUP C: Serbia, Italy, Slovakia

GROUP D: Greece, Croatia, Russia

Coach Tucak announced the list of national team players for the first, short-term preparations (2-3 days), when the Barracudas last gathered for a friendly match against Italy at the beginning of the month, on November 2. Croatia won 12:11.

Croatia and Italy will have the same three-day joint preparations from December 5 to 7, 2021, but this time in Zagreb. Croatia will later travel to Belgrade for preparations with Serbia at the beginning of January 2022. 

Recall, five key players retired from the Croatia national team this year. Already in Tokyo, Xavi Garcia and Paulo Obradović announced they would be retiring from the national team, followed by the legendary captain Andro Bušlje, deputy captain Maro Joković, and center Luka Lončar.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

October 27, 2021 - With five key players retiring in the last few months, how does the Croatia water polo future look? Croatia coach Ivica Tucak and Federation director Perica Bukić weigh in on what to expect with the new generation. 

Uncertain days are ahead of the Croatia water polo team after losing five core players since the Tokyo Olympics, reports Gol.hr.

A generation change is now inevitable, and Ivica Tucak wants a national team ready for big competitions next year. Recall, the European Championship is played in Split next September, after all. 

The last few weeks have been turbulent for Croatia water polo as five key players said goodbye to the Barracudas.

Already in Tokyo, Xavi Garcia and Paulo Obradović announced they would be retiring from the national team. Next, the legendary captain Andro Bušlje followed in their footsteps, then the deputy captain Maro Joković, and the center Luka Lončar.

Croatia coach Ivica Tucak and the Croatian Water Polo Federation thanked everyone for their contribution and decided to turn a new page. Next up are preparatory matches, in which coach Tucak invited 15 players from three Croatian clubs to the redesigned national team.

"We are entering a new cycle of patience, it will take time, but these are guys who have been going through preparations for several years, and the team will be a little easier, but we have a lot of work to do, that's for sure," said Tucak. 

The director of the Federation, Perica Bukić, is also aware that it will take some time and patience but doesn't believe there will be any problems.

"Of course, the generation change carries its own, and it will take us some time to sort it out, but I personally really believe in these guys, I believe in the coach and his staff, and I expect that Croatia will continue to be competitive and fight for the top and at European and world competitions," added Perica Bukić.

The real challenge will be European Championship, which will take place in Split next year. Tucak is aware of high expectations.

"We will certainly have one national team that will be able to play on an equal footing with everyone, but I cannot promise gold, Olympic, or European medals at this moment. We have a difficult period ahead of us, I repeat, but we must be optimistic, and I believe that we will continue to be at the top of world water polo," added Tucak. 

And while there is no fear for the water polo team at the moment, the problem is much deeper in club water polo.

"Unfortunately, there is a gap in the status of sports in our country, primarily team sports concerning our competitors, Hungary; Italy, Spain, and even Serbia and Montenegro in the segment of professional work, the status of coaches, the status of the best players, national team players, and that is something that I think is the most important problem in the long run," says Bukić.

While there are always young talented athletes in club sports, including water polo, competent institutions must find a way to create new great successes in Croatian sports, concludes Gol.hr.

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October 5, 2021 - Less than a year away, the 2022 European Water Polo Championships in Split have been announced with a standout video destined to tempt visitors to Croatia next September. 

At the LEN Congress held in Budapest not so long ago, the Croatian Water Polo Federation presented Split as the host of the next senior European Water Polo Championships in 2022. Along with a presentation by Renato Živković, Secretary-General of the Croatian Water Polo Federation, a promotional short film was presented showcasing the best of Split. 

"The whole idea behind our project, from idea to realization, is our famous water polo player and former national team member Ivan Buljubašić with his wife Marina, done through the story of a little boy Ivo or ‘Ivo, the water polo player,’ and in an amusing, affirmative and interesting way," writes the Croatian Water Polo Federation.

Because a picture is worth a thousand words, it’s best to watch this incredibly well-done short film about what Split has in store for the 2022 European Water Polo Championships. 

The 35th European Water Polo Championships will be held from August 27 to September 10, 2022, in Split. 

While the event was supposed to be held in early or mid-summer, the European Champs were moved to late summer since the World Championships were moved to May 2022.

“To have our top water polo event in July 2022 would mean an unbearable load for our great water polo players who will need to enjoy a substantial recovery period after an unprecedentedly busy spring. Athletes’ welfare has always been at the core of LEN’s policies, and we shall never move away from our principles. Therefore, the Croatian Water Polo Federation and the local organizers were all very supportive of holding the championships at the end of the summer," said LEN President Paolo Barelli when announcing the dates. 

The European Championships will be held at Spaladium Arena, which has a capacity of 10,000 spectators. 

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August 31, 2021 - The Croatia U17 women's water polo team took 7th place at the European Championships in Šibenik after beating Israel 11: 6 in a direct match for 7th place.

The applause that erupted from the beautifully filled stands of the swimming pool in Crnica, long after the end of the match for 7th place, is perhaps the most valuable and impressive image of Croatia's performance over the last 10 days in Šibenik.

"Truly a wonderful result, to be 7th at such a strong European Championship in which 19 national teams participated, more than ever. There are usually about 16. We managed to get past an excellent France, a solid Germany, a quality Israel, Serbia, Slovakia. We are sorry about the match with Spain, which ended at 9:7. Step by step, the girls proved that they could play with everyone, including Greece, which finished the tournament in second place. We played equally with them almost until the end of the game. It is a huge step forward in Croatian women's water polo. All this was crowned by Latica's title of the best goalkeeper of the championship, which she really was. She had almost 30 saves more than the second-best goalkeeper of the tournament; she had about 89 saves, which is sensational. Of course, the excellent defense of our national team made it possible for Latica. The girls will now rest, and then we start preparing for the World Cup, which is in Australia in a year, where we hope to be even better, more prepared, and more competitive," said Mia Šimunić, the national team coach.

Croatia also had one of the best players at the recently concluded U17 European Championship in Šibenik.

Latica Medvešek (16) from Zagreb, the goalkeeper of Mladost and the Croatia U17 team, was chosen as the best goalkeeper of the European Championship in Šibenik.

Latica, who was once known as a ‘miracle child’ because she defended the Mladost water polo team at 12, is only getting better with age.

Latica excelled in this tournament, often with a double-digit number of saves, which made it impossible for her to go unnoticed. 

According to the Croatian Water Polo Federation, Croatia thus achieved the goal of entering the circle of the 8 best teams in Europe at the U17 European Championship in Šibenik.

Source: HRT

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