September 6, 2022 - The Croatia men's water polo team has secured a spot in the European Championship semifinals! 

The Croatia men's water polo team met Georgia in the quarter-final match of the European Championships in Split on Tuesday. 

The winner of the match will play in the semi-finals against Italy, who beat France 16:8 in the quarter-finals.

Croatia did not reach the quarterfinals easily. They lost the first half to both France and Greece in the group stage and failed to score against Greece in the first 16 minutes of the match. However, a draw against Greece was enough for Croatia to win first place in their group with seven points.

Georgia beat the Netherlands 12:8 (2:3, 5:1, 2:2, 3:2) in the round of 16. Croatia last played Georgia a little over two months ago at the World Championships in Budapest and won 13:7 in the round of 16. 

Match report

1st Quarter

Croatia won the swim-off and the first attack of the match but lost the ball to Georgia. Georgia hit the post in their first attack. Croatia won a penalty with 6:09 on the clock. Kharkov scored for 1:0 Croatia. Bijac saved Georgia's next attack. Croatia's next attack resulted in another penalty which Kharkov scored again for 2:0! Bijac kept the goal clean in Georgia's next attack, and Fatovic scored for 3:0 with 3:39 left. Zuvela made it 4:0 with 6 seconds on the clock, which is how the first quarter ended. 

2nd Quarter 

Croatia won the swim-off but didn't score in their first attack. Georgia scored for 4:1 with 7:09 on the clock. Georgia hit the post in the next attack but scored for 4:2 with 5:22 to go. Buric scored for 5:2 with 4:48 left. Bijac was solid in goal to deny Georgia’s next attacks. Kharkov made it 6:2 with 1:19 to go. Georgia won a penalty with 52 seconds but hit the post. Croatia hit the post in their next attack. 

3rd Quarter

Croatia won the swim-off again and the first attack of the 3rd quarter. Basic nailed the back of the net for 7:2 with 7:30 on the clock. Georgia answered back in their next attack for 7:3 with 7:02 to go. Bukic made it 8:3 for Croatia with 6:32 left. Fatovic scored a penalty for 9:3 with 5:49 left. Bijac saved a Georgia penalty with 5:20 on the clock. Nothing was getting past Bijac in this match. Fatovic had a one-on-one and faked the Georgia keeper for 10:3 with 3 minutes left! Bukic made it 11:3 with 1:29 to go in the third quarter - and 12:3 with 42 seconds left. 

4th Quarter

Popadic replaced Bijac in goal for the final quarter. Georgia got the swim-off in the final quarter of the match. Georgia made it 12:4 with 7:17 to go in the match. Buric answered back with a goal for 13:4. Croatia called a time-out with 4:21 to go. Bukic scored for 14:4 with 2:24 left. Georgia scored for 14:5 with 1:45 on the clock. Kragic made it 15:5 with 42 seconds left. Croatia had the final attack and ran out the clock. The match ended 15:5! 

Croatia and Italy will meet in the semi-final on Thursday in Split!

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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 11, 2022 - All teams have been confirmed for the 2022 European Water Polo Championships in Split this summer after Russia was disqualified. 

After the aggression against Ukraine, LEN or the European Water Sports Organization banned all Russian athletes, including clubs and national teams from international competitions. It was then clear that Russia would not compete in the 35th European Water Polo Championships, which will be held this year in Split from August 27 to September 10, reports Sportske Novosti.

Since Russia qualified for this competition in both men's and women's competitions, it was necessary to determine which national teams would come to Croatia instead of Russia.

It was decided that Slovenia in the men's competition and Slovakia in the women's competition would compete in Split this summer. The Slovenian men's team was third in the A qualification group, behind France and Germany, but has the highest average of points scored of all third-placed teams. More precisely, Slovenia was equal with Belarus, but since Belarus has also been disqualified, Slovenia will be the national team to travel to Split.

The women's competition will thus feature the national team of Slovakia, which is the best third-placed team in the qualifications compared to Portugal and Switzerland.

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. 

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

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. 

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

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August 28, 2020 - The 35th European Water Polo Championships will take place in Split from August 27 to September 10, 2022, LEN announced today.

The Championships will be held at the 10,000-seater Spaladium Arena in Split, which was confirmed as the host city in October 2018.

Originally planned for the middle of summer, the European Championships will be held at the end of August since the World Championships have been moved from 2021 to May 13 – 29, 2022. LEN said they wanted to ensure the players had enough time to recover between competitions. 

A statement from LEN on Friday:

“To have our top water polo event in July 2022 would mean 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 in the core of LEN’s policies and we shall never move away from our principles. The Croatian Water Polo Federation and the local organisers were all very supportive to hold the championships at the end of the summer," LEN President Paolo Barelli said. 

“Though the event is still two years away, Croatia, the city of Split and the local water polo community are all already excited to welcome back the European Water Polo Championships to our country. International water polo events always enjoy a fantastic atmosphere here in Croatia and we expect nothing less this time. On behalf of the organisers and the city, we can promise to deliver another outstanding championships in 2022,"  Croatian Water Polo Federation President Mladen Drnasin added.

The event returns to Croatia 12 years after the competition was successfully held in Zagreb 2010. Russia, France, and Malta competed against Croatia for a chance to host the championship in 2022, but Croatia, with the support of the Government, the City of Split, the County, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, and SDUŠ, was convincingly chosen as the winner. 

Source: Total Waterpolo

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January 14, 2020 - The Croatia water polo team opened their European Championship campaign against Germany in Budapest on Tuesday. 

After difficult preparations, the ‘Barakudas’ opened the European Championship against Germany, the national team they last met in the World Cup in Gwangju. 

“It's important to open the tournament properly. We have a solid and strong opponent at the start, Germany is all but a harmless team,” the Croatia coach said in an interview before the game. 

“Germany is a good team and it is certain that we will have to be at our maximum to win,” said Croatia goalkeeper Marko Bijac.

“We know them well, they are unpredictable, as they showed at the World Cup. We must not enter the game relaxed and easy. I expect a physically difficult match,” added Maro Jokovic.

And Croatia made sure they stuck to their word. 

Germany, however, was the first to score thanks to a Maurice Juengling goal. Croatia finally equalized after almost seven minutes when Josip Vrlic scored for 1:1. Marin Restovic brought Germany back into the lead for 2:1, which is how the first quarter ended. 

At the opening of the second quarter, Lovre Milos made it 2:2. Denis Strelezkij returned Germany to the lead, though Andro Buslje scored the equalizer for 3:3. Milos' second goal finally gave Croatia the 3:4 lead and Hrvoje Benic gave Croatia a two-goal advantage (3:5). Ante Vukicevic scored for 4:6 and Luka Bukic for 4:7. 

Thirty seconds into the third quarter, Croatia was up by four (4:8) thanks to Buslje’s second goal. The 'Barakudas' then became unstoppable, and Vukicevic scored for 4:9. Milos scores his third goal of the game for 5:11, while Loren Fatovic increased the lead to +7 (5:12). Fatovic closed the third quarter with another goal and a 5:13 advantage for Croatia.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Luka Loncar increased Croatia’s lead to 5:14, while Fatovic scored again for 6:15, and Bukic scored his third goal of the game for 7:16. Josip Vrlic made it 9:17 with one minute to go.

In the second round on January 16 (8:30 pm), Croatia will play against Montenegro. In the final match of Group A on January 18 (4 pm), Croatia will play against Slovakia.

Source: HRT

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