Barracudas are silver
Croatian water polo players unfortunately did not manage to stand on the top step of the Olympic podium for the second time. In the final, Serbia defeated our team 13:11.
It was a day, it was a game where nothing goes as you imagined. They didn't wish for it, but imagined it, played it, and how our boys played here in Paris. Ineffective defense, ineffective and slow attack, without "crazy gains" from the goalkeeper, essentially without a single strong individual in the team.
On the other hand, the opponent, who at the halfway point of the game had a perfect realization of the player more, 7-7. As well as goalkeeper Radoslav Filipović with 11 saves, and as many as 9 different scorers. When all that is added up, and then we also take into account that we led only once (1:0 Fatović) and that the opponent was already leading 5:2 after the first quarter, and 7:3 in the middle of the second, it was clear that the golden joy for There will be no Croatia.
However, no matter how difficult it is, we should congratulate, sincerely and from the heart, the whole team, the coach and the professional staff for an overall nice two weeks in Paris, as well as for the silver medal won. It's a collegiate race, an Olympic one at that, and you should appreciate, respect and be proud of that.
STATEMENTS
Menu of Ivica Tucak:
- We weren't real. You can't win with 13 goals conceded. It's clear as day that we had no defense today. We "leaked", left players behind, did everything contrary to the agreement. It follows from such a defense that you no longer have that attacking force. You have no energy. In the first two quarters, we had no defense, no energy. Well, it was 5:2 after the first quarter. It's not 2:0, 3:1, it's 5:2. It put us in a state of, I won't say depressed, but you are no longer safe in the attack. You don't have the fluidity in the game that is needed.
Maro Joković:
- All that we had in the last two games, in this final it was as if there was not even a drop. So many blocks, disjointed shots. Defended the goalkeeper. I don't have a coherent explanation now. We had the chance of a lifetime, we are aware of that, but we lacked composure, execution, goals conceded lightly. Everything.
Luka Lončar:
- This is even a big result, which it is now clear to me that we cannot appreciate correctly, but because we lost the gold we dreamed of. The game was decided by a lack of aggressiveness on our part. We didn't enter nearly as aggressively as we did in the semifinals or quarterfinals. We picked it up a bit later, but it's hard to come back the whole game.
Marko Bijač:
- We conceded goals that were too easy at the beginning, too easy for such an important game. It is difficult to come back after 7:3 at the beginning of the second quarter. We also changed the defense, tried all kinds of things. At one point we were even close to coming back, but we didn't take our chances, they punished us and that was it. Unfortunately, neither Toni nor I helped this time.
