Tonight for bronze
Today from 7:00 p.m., at the Zagreb swimming pool along the Sava River, the generation of girls who make up our under-19 national team are playing their biggest and most important match of their young careers. Tonight, Croatia is playing for the third place in Europe and the bronze medal at the European Championship, which ends this Saturday in Zagreb.
Mia Šimunić's girls' team has delighted us in the past week, primarily with victories over France, Greece, the Netherlands, but also with great in the semi-final against Spain, in which the rivals, who were otherwise favorites on paper, won minimally and only with a goal difference. Now these girls of ours have a chance to win a medal, the first medal in the history of Croatian women's water polo. It won't be easy and simple at all, that goes without saying. Just as we do not even impose an imperative on this team, which greatly exceeded expectations by entering the circle of the four best teams on the Old Continent. However, when they have already reached the top, so high in Europe, so close to the step on the podium, it is logical and sporty to hope. Or maybe dreaming the most beautiful dream.
- Pride is sky high with these girls. They are so fighting, so 'alive', they know and understand so much, and they love what they do so much - notes Mia Šimunić, Croatian national team selector who added.
- And they do it really well and I think that against Spain very well seen. Against a team whose senior national team won the Olympic Games in Paris, and one of them is the captain of this generation, and she scored the last, winning goal for them. Nothing, this time it was not our victory, but we are focused on Saturday, on the fight for bronze and we want that first historical medal for our women's water polo.
Remember, Croatia and Greece have already played in this championship. It was in the 3rd round in the group, when Croatia shocked the Greeks (14:13). With that match, the victory dance of the Croats started to some extent. It would be great if they ended this Zagreb Euro-story in the same way with the Greek women.
