Hungary Defeats Serbia, Plays against Greece for World Bronze on Thursday
Serbia failed to advance to the final of the World Championship in Singapore.
In a very dramatic semifinal, Uroš Stevanović's team was defeated by Hungary with a score of 19-18.
On Thursday (11:35 Central European Time), Serbia will play against Greece in the bronze medal match, as Greece lost to Hungary after a penalty shootout in the first semifinal - 9:11 (7:7).
In the match against Hungary, Serbia was trailing 3-6 after the first quarter, but managed to equalize by halftime. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Hungary led by five goals (18-13), and although our team caught up with the opponent towards the end, they couldn't equalize.
Hungary started the match in a similar way to how they began the game against Croatia in the quarterfinals. They were very aggressive in attack, creating numerous goal-scoring opportunities and maintaining a high conversion rate in powerplay situations, successfully scoring three out of four attempts in the first eight minutes. However, their defense was significantly improved compared to the initial minutes of the quarterfinal, effectively stopping Serbia's top scorers. After an initial tie at 2-2, Hungary went on a 3-0 run, taking a 5-2 lead and maintaining a three-goal advantage until the first break. Serbia also showed excellent play in powerplay situations, converting 3 out of 4 attempts, which helped the Olympic champions stay in the game.
At the beginning of the second quarter, our team capitalized on two extra players and reduced the deficit to 5-6. Two and a half minutes before the midpoint of the half, Đorđe Lazić equalized to 7-7. It was Serbia's sixth goal in a powerplay situation (the previous one was a penalty shot). Hungary then missed a powerplay opportunity, while Serbia, in the next attack, drew two exclusions. Captain Nikola Jakšić scored a goal in a 6-on-4 situation, giving Serbia the lead in the match - 7-6. However, right after that, Manherc equalized from a distance, and the teams were at the same starting point at the beginning of the second half - 8-8.
In the third period, the teams exchanged goals to 10-10. Hungary soon regained their scoring rhythm from the first quarter and built a four-goal lead before the end of the period. Ákos Nád scored on a powerplay four seconds before the end, giving his team a 16-12 lead. AndjaL increased the gap to five points on Hungary's first possession in the fourth quarter - 17-12. With five and a half minutes remaining, Hungary had a lead of 18-13. It seemed like the fight was over. However, the Serbians started to make a comeback again, scoring four goals in a row. At 01:50, Miloš Ćuk hit a long-range shot, narrowing the deficit to 17-18. Immediately after, Vendel Vigvari interrupted Hungary's goal drought on a powerplay - 19-17. The Olympic champions did not give up. Nevertheless, they failed to catch up with the Hungarians. Miloš Ćuk scored a goal in a 6-on-7 situation, 25 seconds before the end. In the remaining time, the Hungarians retained possession and secured their spot in the final.
Both teams had an excellent conversion rate in powerplay situations (Serbia 9/14 and Hungary 10/15) - direct shots from 6 meters after fouls made the difference in a high-scoring encounter. Hungary scored four goals from this situation, while Serbia scored none.
Serbia - Hungary 18:19 (3:6, 5:2, 4:8, 6:3)
Referees Franulović (Croatia), Margeta (Slovenia). Powerplay goals: Serbia 14 (10), Hungary 16 (10). Penalties: Serbia 3 (3), Hungary 1 (1)
SERBIA: Filipović, Mandić 6, S. Rašović 1, Ranđelović, Ćuk 2, Lazić 2, N. Jakšić 3, Vico 1, Vapenski, P. Jakšić, V. Rašović 1, Martinović 2, Milojević, Dobožanov.
HUNGARY: Čoma, Anjal 2, Manherc 4, Molnar, Vamoš 1, Ad. Nađi, Fekete 4, Burian 2, Kovač 1, Ve. Vigvari 1, Vi. Vigvari 1, Miče, Ak. Nađi 3, Višmeg.
