Group A — Budapest

BRAZIL 5 MONTENEGRO 20

Montenegro made sure of what would be second place in the group with a comfortable finish to group play by defeating Brazil 20-5. It was 4-0 at the quarter and that set the tone for the match, going to 5-0 before Brazil made the sheet, then settled in for a 9-1 lead before VAR decision was needed to give Gustavo Coutinho a goal for 9-2. Montenegro turned at 10-2, pushed out to 17-2 at the final break and 19-2. Then Brazil fired in three goals before the final whistle. Montenegro lost to Hungary by four goals and beat Georgia by one to secure second spot. Brazil goes to the round 13-16 classifications in Szeged looking for its first win in Hungary.

Match hero
Dejan Lazovic was the undoubted star with 11 saves from 16 shots in the Montenegrin goal. He deservedly named player-of the match.

Turning point
Being 5-0 up at the start was just the sort of filip Montenegro needed as its eyes what could be a good second week now that it has three matches together.

Stats don’t Lie
There were 25 goals and 14 goal-scorers. Brazil used five and Montenegro nine with three triple scorers — Uros Vucurovic, Kanstantin Averka and Dusan Matkovic. Montenegro converted eight from 12 on extra-man attack and Brazil just three from eight.

Bottom line
Montenegro was in a different class. Brazil is not the team it once was, rebuilding ahead of Paris 2024 qualifications.

What they said
Vladimir Gojkovic (MNE) — Head Coach
“It was easier than we expected before the game, but it was important for us to claim the victory today and go to the final games. We are looking forward to the game against Japan and I hope we can reach the best eight. We know that they have a specific water polo — other teams have experience about it — we have to prepare for that.”
Marko Petkovic (MNE) — Goal Scorer
“We looked at this match as an opportunity for a final preparation. We played a good game, and now it is a day and a half for us to tactically prepare for the Japanese team. It is always difficult to play against Japan — they represent a different type of game.”
Barbaro Diaz (BRA) — Head Coach
“It was a very difficult game; the pressure of team Montenegro was very massive. The Brazilian team is very young; the players did not play big national games before. The teams in Szeged will be similar to Brazil, so our goal is to reach the top place there.”
Gustavo Coutinho (BRA) — Goal Scorer
“This game was even more difficult than against the Hungarians. The Montenegrin national team started with a hard attack; we fought therefore from the beginning of the match. We need to practise more. I think we are going to play a good match against the Germans. We will do our best to get in our best shape.”

HUNGARY 18 GEORGIA 14

What a glorious match this was! There were 32 fantastic goals scored by two class teams playing at the height of their powers. The goals came thick and fast and especially off the hand in lightning fashion on many occasions. Georgia was the underdog, on paper, but the Georgians did not have that mentality. Spearing goals at every chance and had the 3-1 advantage midway through the first period. Hungary dug in and levelled at three by the quarter break, equalised again at four and then allowed Georgia to level at five. Hungary pulled away for a 10-6 halftime advantage. Georgia was not out of it, pulling the margin back to two at 11-9 and 12-10. Hungary went to 14-10 and Georgia narrowed to three by the final break. Three quick goals from  Hungary pushed the difference to six, but even then Georgia was unremitting, scoring three of the last four goals to go down by an heroic four goals.

Match heroes
Krisztian Mancherz (HUN) was just one of many stars and collected the main award. He and Gergo Zalanky — he of the mega throwing arm — notched four goals apiece while Marton Vamos delighted with his three. On the other side of the ledger, Nika Shushiashvili and Boris Vapenski drilled three each. Best of the goalkeepers was Georgia’s Irakii Razmadze, who dragged down 11 balls. Other heroes? Both teams. They all played magnificently.

Turning point
From 5-5 to 7-5 and the soon after 7-6 to 10-6 by halftime. The first three goals of the fourth period sealed the match and the group.

Stats don’t lie
Hungary went nine from 16 on extra-man attack and Georgia six from 14. That’s a lot of conversions — testament to both teams’ attractive and dynamic attacks.

Bottom line
Hungary has the team to go all the way and anyone facing Georgia in the coming week better be scared.

What they said
Tamas Marcz (HUN) — Head Coach
“I was confident that we would steer the match to the right way sooner. Congratulations to the Georgian team, they played very well, they pushed even when we built a bigger advantage at the end of the game. Their game reflected on a very good culture of water polo. We had no problems in attack; the number of goals scored was fine. There were more shortcomings in the defence. Blocks and taking the right positions were missing, but we should move forward now. We’re on our way to find the right answers to this style of refereeing. We continue to work, trying to maintain our physical condition, analysing today’s match; we are waiting for our opponent and trying to correct our mistakes.”
Krisztian Manhercz (HUN) — Player of the Match
“We approached this match in a way that it will be a similar game to the one we played with Brazil. Instead, they went very hard all the way, while we moved a little bit slow. When we shook ourselves, there was no longer any question, though our defence had some problems. There were bugs, but our offence worked well. We have a chance to advance; the next match will be a do-or-die match, we no longer have a chance to make mistakes.”
Dejan Stanojevic (GEO) — Head Coach
“It is an honour to be here at the world championships and to play in this swimming pool. We played a good match. Obviously, I can’t be completely satisfied as we made some mistakes, but we played against the Hungarians. They are ahead of us in terms of individual skills, experience and knowledge. We’ve given it our all. Despite the defeat, I can’t say bad things to my team.”
Revaz Imnaishvili (GEO) — Goal Scorer“For us, this is a very important tournament. This is the first world championships for 99 per cent of our team. I am very proud of all of my team-mates for today’s performance. We can play and have a chance against every team.” 

Final Points: Hungary 6, Montenegro 4, Georgia 2, Brazil 0.