July 3, 2022 - Greece beat Croatia 9:7 in the fight for the bronze medal at the FINA World Championships in Budapest on Sunday. Croatia thus finished in 4th place. 

The Croatia national water polo team met Greece on Sunday in the fight for the bronze medal at the FINA World Championships in Budapest.

Croatia and Greece already met in the group stage of this competition in Debrecen. The match finished 8:8.

By winning bronze, the Barracudas would have increased their medal count at the World Championships to eight. It all started back in 2007 in Melbourne.

In the semi-finals, Croatia was defeated by Spain, and Greece by Italy.

Match Report

1st quarter

Croatia won the sprint and thus the first attack of the match. Vukicevic's shot was saved by the Greece keeper. Bijac saved Greece's first shot on goal. Five minutes into the first quarter and neither team had scored yet. Greece scored the first goal of the match with 2:20 left in the quarter. VAR held the match up for a potential Croatia goal but the referee ultimately did not count it. The first quarter ended 1:0 for Greece.

2nd quarter 

Greece won the second sprint of the match and thus the first attack of the second quarter. Greece scored for 2:0 with 7:35 on the clock. Greece made it 3:0 with 6:57 left. And it was 4:0 for Greece with 4:19 left. Bukic scored Croatia's first goal for 4:1 with 3:34 left. Greece scored for 5:1 with 3:08 on the clock. Fatovic scored for 5:2 with 2:26 left in the quarter. Kharkov's penalty was saved by the Greece keeper with less than a minute left until halftime. Zuvela made it 5:3 with 3 seconds left, which is how the match went into halftime. 

3rd quarter  

Bukic scored for -1 Croatia with 6:21 left (5:4). Greece scored for 6:4 with 5:51 to go. Greece went up by 3 goals again with 3:36 left - it was 7:4 for Greece. Greece made it 8:4 moments later. The Greece keeper continued to deny Croatia at the goal. Kharkov finally found the back of the net for -3 - 8:5, which is how the match went into the final quarter. 

4th quarter   

Croatia won the final sprint and the first attack of the last quarter. Kragic scored for -2 (8:6) with 7:21 left in the match. Greece scored for +3 (9:6) with just over two minutes to go. Bijac saved Greece's penultimate attack and Vrlic scored for 9:7 with 24 seconds on the clock, which is how the match ended. The Greece keeper finished with 16 saves.

Croatia thus finished the 2022 FINA World Championships in 4th place. 

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section. 

July 1, 2022 - Spain beat Croatia 10:5 in the FINA World Championships semifinal match on Friday. Croatia and Greece will play in the match for 3rd place. 

Croatia met Spain in the FINA World Championship semifinals in Hungary on Friday night. Italy beat Greece in the first semifinal match 11-10 and thus booked their spot in the final for the second time in a row. 

Croatia had the chance to book their fourth World Championship final. After the great victory against Serbia, Croatia faced Spain, which boasts the former best water polo player in the world, Felipe Perrone.

Good support was expected from the stands from Zagreb, Osijek, Slavonski Brod, Split, and Rijeka.

The last match between these two national teams was one year ago at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where Spain won 8:4. Interestingly, Croatia played against Spain three times at the World Championships, and all three times Spain celebrated.

Match Report 

1st quarter

Spain won the sprint and first attack of the match and scored for 1:0. Zuvela equalized for Croatia in the next attack for 1:1. Spain scored for 2:1 with less than 4 minutes to go in the first quarter. Bukic equalized for 2:2 in the next attack. Croatia took the lead with 1:44 left - Kharkov scored for 3:2! Spain equalized with 17 seconds on the clock. The first quarter ended 3:3. 

2nd quarter 

Croatia won the first sprint but was unable to score in the first attack. Spain retook the lead for 4:3 with 6:04 left. Spain went ahead 5:3 with just over 5 minutes to go. Croatia was not able to score in this quarter and allowed Spain two goals. It was 5:3 for Spain going into halftime. 

3rd quarter 

Spain's keeper was brilliant to keep them ahead and denied Croatia several opportunities in the 3rd quarter. Spain scored their first goal of the third quarter for 6:3 with 3:28 on the clock. Bukic finally scored for 6:4 Croatian with just over 3 minutes to go. Spain scored for 7:4 with 1:45 on the clock. Basic scored or 7:5 Croatia with 30 seconds on the clock. 

4th quarter 

Spain won the sprint in the final quarter. Spain scored for 8:5 with 7:37 to go in the match.  Spain scored for 9:5 with 3:39 left in the match and then 10:5 with under 3 minutes left. The match ended 10:5 for Spain. 

Croatia and Greece will play for 3rd place.  

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section. 

June 29, 2022 - Croatia was brilliant against Serbia on Wednesday in Budapest, winning 14:12 for a semifinal spot at the FINA World Championships! 

Since Croatian independence, the Croatia water polo team has played against the national teams of 38 countries. Croatia has a positive ratio against 36 of them, but two have always been better - Hungary and Serbia, the latter of which Croatia met in the FINA World Championship quarterfinals on Wednesday in Budapest. 

Croatia and Serbia have met many times at the World Championships alone, including in 1998 in Perth - 6:6 (Group), in 2005 in Montreal - 4:5 (semifinals), in 2007 in Melbourne - 10:7 (semifinals), in 2009 in Rome - 11:12 (semifinals), in 2015 in Kazan - 4:11 (final), and in 2017 in Budapest - 12:11 (semifinals). 

Both national teams have been significantly rejuvenated since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics last year, when Serbia took home the gold medal. 

"Croatia has shown potential and energy, they are a young team and on a good path to develop into a very competitive team," said water polo legend Ratko Rudić in an interview with HRT before the match. 

The former Croatia coach also shared his recipe for victory against Serbia, the current Olympic gold medalist. 

"It is also a new team, they have two top players, Mandic and Jaksic. The task is to neutralize the two of them, if we succeed, Croatia has great chances," Rudic believed. 

Croatia was convincing against Georgia in the FINA World Championships round of 16 earlier this week, and Serbia finished first in their group and did not play that phase of the competition. 

Match report 

1st quarter 

Croatia won the sprint and thus the first attack of the match, which resulted in an attacking foul and Serbia's ball. Kragic scored the first goal of the match for 1:0 Croatia with 5:36 on the clock. Popadic made three brilliant saves in goal to keep Croatia ahead. With 3 minutes left, Popadic continued to deny Serbia a goal. Serbia finally scored with 1:19 on the clock for 1:1. The first quarter ended at 1:1. 

2nd quarter 

Croatia won the sprint again to start the second quarter. Zuvela scored for the Croatia lead with 5:22 to go. Serbia equalized 20 seconds later. Kragic scored his second goal for 3:2 Croatia with 4:37 to go. Serbia equalized for 3:3 one minute later. Kharkov scored a penalty for Croatia for 4:3 with 3:13 on the clock. Serbia came back for 4:4 with 2:39 to go. Vrlic scored for 5:4 in the next attack. Croatia went into halftime leading 5:4. 

3rd quarter

Serbia won the sprint and scored in the first attack for 5:5 with 7:44 on the clock. Vukicevic scored for 6:5 Croatia with 6:56 left. Krapic scored for +2 (7:5) with 6:02 on the clock. Croatia was on fire - Vrlic scored for +3 (8:5), though Serbia scored in the next attack - 8:6. Lazic scored for +3 again - 9:6. Serbia came back to -2 in the next attack (9:7). Mandic scored a penalty for Serbia to put them behind by just one goal - 9:8 with three minutes to go. Lazic scored for +2 Croatia with 1:48 on the clock (10:8). Serbia scored for -1 with 52 seconds left in the quarter. Croatia went into the final quarter leading 10:9. 

4th quarter 

Serbia won the sprint and the first attack of the final quarter but it was Bukic to score first for 11:9 Croatia! Serbia scored for -1 again with 6:28 to go. Zuvela was brilliant, scoring his second goal for 12:10 Croatia moments later. Another extra man success for Croatia saw Basic go back up to +3 with 4:45 left to go in the match. Serbia scored for -2 (13:11) with just over two minutes left in the match. Fatovic lobbed the Serbia keeper for +3 with 1:55 on the clock! Serbia scored for -2 with a minute left. Serbia was unable to score in the next attack and Croatia secured the 14:12 win for a spot in the semifinals! 

Croatia will play the winner of Spain - Montenegro played after this match. 

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section. 

June 27, 2022 - Croatia beat Georgia 13:7 in the FINA World Championships round of 16 in Hungary on Monday. They will face Serbia next in the quarterfinals. 

The Croatia water polo team met Georgia in the round of 16 at the FINA World Championships in Hungary on Monday. Croatia had no right to make a mistake, as a defeat would leave them without a fight for a medal. Winning this match would also mean a quarterfinal match against Serbia later this week.

Due to the suspension, coach Ivica Tucak could not count on Rino Burić. Georgia was also no easy opponent with several foreigners on the national team. Among them is one Croatian, Marko Jelača.

Match Report

1st quarter

Croatia won the sprint and the first attack of the match, which Bukic scored for 1:0. Georgia equalized for 1:1 with 6:49 on the clock. Kharkov put Croatia ahead for 2:1 30 seconds later. Georgia equalized for 2:2 with 3:20 on the clock. Zuvela made it 3:2 for Croatia with 1:42 to go, which is how the first quarter ended. 

2nd quarter 

Croatia won the sprint again for the first attack, but Georgia equalized for 3:3 with 6:47 left. Kragic put Croatia ahead for 4:3 in the next attack. Kharkov scored a rocket for 5:3 with 5:46 to go. Basic made it 6:3 for Croatia's biggest lead of the game with 3:03 to go. Georgia reduced Croatia's lead to 6:4 with 1:45 on the clock. Krapic scored for 7:4 with 0:27 on the clock, which is how the match went into halftime.

3rd quarter

Georgia won the sprint to start the third quarter but was unlucky in their first attack. Kharkov scored his third goal of the match for +4 Croatia with 6:26 to go (8:4). Kharkov scored a penalty for 9:4 with 5:44 to go. Kragic scored for 10:4 Croatia with 1:45 left in the quarter. Croatia went into the final quarter leading by 6 goals. 

4th quarter 

Croatia won the sprint but was unsuccessful in their first attack. Georgia scored in the next attack for 10:5 with 6:47 left in the game. Georgia scored again for -4 (10:6) with 4:51 left. Zuvela scored for 11:6 with 4:20 to go. Fatovic scored for 12:6 with 3:29 on the clock. Kragic scored a penalty for 13:6 with 2:09 to go. Georgia scored for 13:7 with 41 seconds left. 

Croatia and Serbia will meet in the quarterfinals later this week. 

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section. 

June 25, 2022 - Croatia and Japan met in Debrecen for their final match of Group B at the FINA World Championships in Hungary. By winning 21:13, Croatia takes 2nd place in Group B. 

Ivica Tucak's team faced Japan in their final Group B match on Saturday evening. Greece and Germany will meet in the second match at 19:30. Before this game, Greece and Croatia had three points each at the top of the group, in which only the winner goes directly to the quarterfinals. Japan had two points and Germany was without points.

Croatia was able to secure first place in the group if they won by 12 goals or 11 if they scored more than 18 goals. Namely, their competitor for first place, Greece, defeated Japan 18:7 and set the bar high for the Barracudas. Croatia would finish 2nd if they beat Japan with less than 12 goals or a draw.

Match report

1st quarter

Croatia won the sprint and thus had the first attack of the match which did not result in a goal. Vukicevic scored Croatia's first goal for 1:0 with 6:27 on the clock and Vrlic made it 2:0 with 5:44 left. Japan scored their first goal 20 seconds later for 1:2. Japan scored a penalty with 4:50 left to equalize at 2:2. Japan led 3:2 with 2:55 left. Buric scored brilliantly for 3:3 with 2:35 on the clock. Buric scored again for 4:3 Croatia with 23 seconds to go in the first quarter. 

2nd quarter

Croatia won the sprint and first attack in the second quarter as well, but Japan was first to score. It was 4:4 with 7:18 on the clock. Japan took the lead at 5:4 with 6:47 to go but Croatia soon equalized for 5:5. Japan retook the lead at 6:5 with 5:01 left, and it was 7:5 for Japan with 4:36 left. Kharkov scored for 7:6.  Kharkov equalized for 7:7 with 3:28 to go until halftime. Japan retook the lead for 8:7 with 3:03 left. And it was 9:7 for Japan with 2:22 to go. Japan led 9:7 going into halftime. 

3rd quarter

Fatovic scored for 9:8 with 6:57 to go. Japan went to 10:8 in the next attack. Fatovic scored for 10:9 with 6:11 left. Kharkov scored a penalty to equalize at 10:10 with 5:22 left. Krapic finally put Croatia back in the lead for 11:10 with 4:02 left. Krapic put Croatia ahead by 2 goals with 2:46 left. Popadic saved a Japan penalty 20 seconds later. Fatovic scored for 13:11 with 55 seconds left. Bukic scored for 14:11 to end the third quarter with Croatia up by 3 goals. 

4th quarter

Japan was the first to score for -2 (12:14), but Vukicevic quickly put Croatia back to +3 (15:12). Krapic scored for 16:12 with 4:45 left in the match. Kharkov made it 17:12 for Croatia with 4:00 minutes to go. Krapic scored yet again for 18:12 Croatia with just under 3 minutes to go, and again for 19:12 with 2:15 on the clock. It was 20:12 for Croatia with one minute left. Kharkov scored for 21:12 with less than 30 seconds left. The match ended at 21:13 for Croatia. 

Croatia thus finishes 2nd in Group B, meaning they will need to play in the round of 16. Croatia will play next on Monday for a spot in the quarterfinals. 

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section. 

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. 

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated sports section. 

July 27, 2019 - The Croatia water polo team has clinched the bronze medal at the FINA World Championships! In a rematch of the final of two years ago, Croatia topped Hungary10:7 to secure yet another medal in a major competition. 

The Croatia water polo team celebrated in the bronze medal match 10:7 (2-1, 2-2, 2-2, 4-2) against Hungary on Saturday. Thus, this is the seventh tournament in a row that Croatia has celebrated with a medal, achieving a new record, reports Gol.hr.

Maro Joković was brilliant with six goals for Croatia, while Luka Lončar, Lovro Miloš, Anđelo Šetka and Hrvoje Benić scored one goal. Krizstian Manhercz and Balazs Harai scored twice for Hungary, while Daniel Angyal, Gergo Zalanki and Marton Vamos each scored one.

Recall, Croatia lost to Spain in the semi-final 6:5 in a poor display on Thursday. In the. FINA World Championships this year in Gwangju, South Korea,  Croatia defeated Australia, the United States, and Kazakhstan in the group stage and Germany in the quarter-final. 

Croatia has thus increased their medal count to seven at the World Championships. The winning series started in Melbourne in 2007, where they won gold, followed by bronze in 2009 (Rome), 2011 (Shanghai) and 2013 (Barcelona), silver 2015 in Kazan and gold in 2017 in Budapest.

Finishing third, however, does not secure Croatia a spot in the Tokyo Olympics next year. Croatia will thus have to finish at the top of the European Championships next year in Hungary. Serbia, Spain, and Italy have already qualified for the 2020 Olympics. 

Spain and Italy will meet in the final. 

More soon...

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

July 25, 2019 - The Croatia water polo team met Spain for the crucial semi-final of the FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea on Thursday. Croatia lost 6:5 in a poor display which saw them utilize only three opportunities out of the 13 when they had an extra man.

Not only would securing the final bring Croatia one step closer to defending the World Championship title from Budapest two years ago, but it would have placed them among the two best teams in the world - and guarantee their place at the Tokyo Olympics next year.

“We all know what is at stake in the game. We know who and what's standing in front of us, but we know exactly how we got here. Of course, step by step. Our first goals, from winning first place in the group to winning the quarter-final. Now we're slowly raising roles. I believe, I am convinced, and just like all the players who want to win, that we can do that. That we can overcome Spain because that is the only thing we are thinking about now,” said Ivica Tucak before the game. 

In the first three quarters, Croatia scored only two goals, mostly thanks to their indecision, but also thanks to the outstanding goalkeeper Lopez who defended absolutely everything, reports Gol.hr.

Maro Joković scored three goals for Croatia, while Xavi Garcia and Loren Fatovic scored one.

Before this semi-final, Croatia had already played Spain twice this year, both in the semi-finals, in different competitions, from the Europa Cup to the World League. Both times Croatia celebrated. However, as far as the World Championships, Croatian had played against Spain twice before today’s game, and the statistics were always in favor of their opponent, who was better in 1994 in Rome and in 2001 in Fukuoka.

Italy and Hungary play in the second semi-final. Croatia will play for the bronze on Saturday against the loser of that duel. 

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

The 2017 world champions in Budapest will play in the semi-final of the same competition held in Gwangju, South Korea this year! The Croatia water polo team topped Germany 10:8 (1-2, 3-1, 3-3, 3-2) in the quarterfinal for their fourth win of this tournament, reports Gol.hr on July 23, 2019.

Croatia's opponent in the semi-final will be Spain, who eliminated Serbia 12:9, leaving them with no chance of fighting fora medal. Serbia came to the championship without a few first-team standards, and already qualified for the Olympics next year in Tokyo after winning the World League in Belgrade last month. The Croatia water polo team will play Spain in the semis on Thursday at 10 am.

It was harder than expected for Croatia to reach the semi-final against Germany. After they dominated the excellent teams of Australia and the USA in the group stage, they anticipated yet another seamless win. But with a little relaxation and a determined Germany, Croatia’s spot in the semi-final was still uncertain.

In the first quarter Croatia struggled, and after four goals in a row (7:3), they allowed Germany to return to the match and equalize at 7: 7, thus giving one of the world’s weaker water polo teams a convincing shot at a victory. 

The experienced Maro Joković, who scored two quick goals in the last quarter, did not allow their dream to become a reality and gave Croatia hope that they would defend their gold medal from 2017. 

Along with Joković, two goals were scored by Bušlje and Vukičević, and Bijač was brilliant defending Croatia's goal. 

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

The Croatia water polo team won first place in Group B at the FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, with a maximum six points after defeating Kazakhstan 21-5 (6-1, 5-1, 5-1, 5-2).

The Croatia water polo team closed out the group stage of the FINA World Championships in Gwangju, South Korea on Friday against Kazakhstan. Having already secured first place in the group earlier this week, and with certainty that Croatia would easily overcome the Kazakhstan team, the game ended 21:5, reports Gol.hr on July 19, 2019. 

Recall, Croatia managed two convincing wins against Australia (14-4) and the USA (17-7) in the first and second round of games.

Croatia had a 6-0 advantage over Kazakhstan in the first seven minutes - and at the end of the fourth quarter, Croatia was up by 18 (21-3) before Kazakhstan scored two consecutive goals to reduce the defeat in the last moments. 

The most effective for Croatia was Maro Joković and Anđelo Šetka with three goals, while Loren Fatović, Andro Bušlje, Xavi Garcia, Ante Vukičević, Luka Lončar, Josip Vrlić, and Hrvoje Benić scored two, and Lovre Miloš scored one. Five of Kazakhstan's players scored one goal.

Croatia will play in the quarter-final on Tuesday at 8:30 am against the winner of the Germany-South Africa match, which is scheduled for Sunday at 11:30.

Second place in Group B went to the USA, who topped Australia in the 3rd round 12-11.

Croatia, Serbia, Italy, and Hungary are the only teams to directly place in the quarter-final of the tournament.

Only the two national teams that play in the final will qualify for the Olympic Games, and if one of them is Serbia, who have already qualified for the Olympics after winning the World League, then the third-placed team from the tournament in South Korea will travel to Tokyo.

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