Serbia men devastate Croatia for triple gold

State Of The Play

Serbia won the last two gold medals; seven star players retired, leaving new faces to take up the cudgels and fly the Serbian flag with pride. For Dusan Mandic and Nikola Jaksic, it was a third visit to the top of the dais. For Mandic, it was a fourth visit, winning bronze at London 2012. As Yugoslavia, Serbia & Montenegro and then Serbia, the nation has won a medal at every Olympic Games since 2000.

USA goalkeeper Adrian Weinberg stopped two of those shootout attempts in the bronze-medal shootout while the other hit the crossbar. It is a rarity for a team not to score at least one goal. There were five shootouts in the men’s competition, the same number as the women’s. USA squandered two leads and needed the last two goals to go to the shootout.

In the lower classification matches, Greece overcame European champion Spain 15-13 for fifth place and from Saturday night’s encounter and Italy bettered Australia 10-6 in their play-off for seventh.

DAY 16 MATCHES

Classification 1-2 (Gold Medal)

Match 42, SERBIA 13 CROATIA 11 (5-2, 3-3, 3-3, 2-3)

Croatia’s 2-1 advantage at the Olympics over Serbia was equalled. Serbia, with seven newcomers to the Olympic cauldron following that mass retirement after Tokyo, survived three losses in the group stage — losing by five to Australia and being pushed to one goal by Japan — to pull off the improbable dream of three consecutive gold medals with a stunning victory with every player sharing in the goals and the enjoyment and then the adulation.

One man is not an island. Dusan Mandic was double-teamed to restrict his fantastic shooting power and adding to his 26 goals in Paris and an Olympic career of 50. However, his team-mates did the damage with a 5-2 opening quarter that had stunned the world champion Croatians. Serbia has the recent Olympic experience. Loren Fatovic opened for Croatia and Serbia struck twice before Jerko Marinic Kragic levelled on extra. Milos Cuk with his second and two Nikola Jaksic goals on extra from the left side had Serbia in command.

Luka Loncar dragged down a high ball in centre forward to claw one back after the start of the second quarter. Nemanja Vico and Strahinja Rasovic sent Serbia cruising to 7-3. Vico scored on extra from the right post and Rasovic calmly slotted the ball from the left side of the pool after the excluded player had re-entered bringing Croatia back into the match. Nikola Dedovic did not expect to finish an extra-man play when the ball whipped over his head to the right-post man and was passed back to him to score for 8-5 to close the half’s scoring.

Croatian captain Marko Bijac was sidelined at halftime and Toni Popadic installed in the goal, with Bijac returning at 1:16 in the same quarter. Goals were traded all quarter with three new scorers for Serbia — including Mandic with his 26th —and two for Croatia as Marinic Kragic gained a second.

Come the final quarter, there was everything at stake. Croatia was quick off the mark with Fatovic spearing an angled pass to Vrlic on the right post. He caught, waited and scored for 11-9. Mandic still had two defenders. Serbian arms denied several shots. Dedovic took a six-metre foul and skipped the ball into the bottom right for 12-9 at 3:13. Croatia went to a timeout at 1:13 when the match was already lost and Konstantin Kharkov pulled the trigger immediately for one back. Cuk upset the apple cart with a hopeful nine-metre shot that slid under Bijac’s arm for 13-10. Rino Buric dragged the ball in at centre forward, slipping to the right for 13-11 at 0:20. But it was too late and Serbia had already started celebrating.

(ED: For Boris Margeta of Slovenia it was his second Olympic final following the 2004 women’s match. In a glittering career where he rose to be the No 1 official in the world, Margeta refereed six men’s world championship finals and three women’s finals. He has controlled two men’s World Cup finals and three men’s World League finals. He has hundreds of matches under his belt including a multitude of European finals. It is his sixth Olympic Games and he is eligible for one more to break the record he holds with the late Eugenio Martinez, of Cuba.)

Match Heroes
Cuk with three goals and Dedovic and Jaksic (12 overall) with two each for Serbia. Mandic scored once for a team and tournament-high 26. Marinic Kragic with three (nine) and Fatovic with two (22) were the best for Croatia. Kharkov, with one, finished with 17.

Turning Point
Way back in the first quarter when Serbia went 5-2.

Stats Don’t Lie
Serbia converted an excellent seven from 11 on extra and Croatia five from 13. Croatia had eight turnovers to five.

Bottom Line
Serbia had a burning desire for triple gold. Sixth place in Doha was no preparation but it seems playing these high-level matches brings the best out of the team. Croatia was not quite in the picture despite being a valiant opponent. It can still rest on its laurels as world champion.

What They Said

Uros STEVANOVIC (CRO) — Head Coach

On the tournament:
“I say before the water polo tournament in the Olympic Games, we have been in the last two Olympic Games and you have bad days — it’s a normal thing; our confidence tells us we are preparing in the right away. Three Olympic Games we finish fourth in our group and we play for an Olympic medal. Our main goal, we know that we must be better in our defence. At the Olympic Games the defence is the most important thing that you must bring to the job.”

Nikola JAKSIC (SRB) — Triple Gold

On the victory:
"I do not know how to tell you. First of all, exhausted, but most of all, really satisfied. I would like to congratulate Croatia's team for the game, but most of all, congratulations to our team. I am proud of my team-mates and everything that we did. I honestly think that we deserve it after these two years. Only we know what we have been through."

On defending the titles from Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2020):
"We have broken the barrier after the quarterfinal against Greece. After that, we just played better and better and as a team. We played better every single game. It was the idea that we wanted to do in the first place. We won the game deservedly so."

Dusan MANDIC (SRB) — Fourth Olympic Medal

On winning a third consecutive Olympic gold:
“This is incredible. I think only the 13 or 15 of us that were here, the players and the coaches, were the only ones who believed in this. That the gold would happen. It's incredible. This is the power of unity. This is the team spirit. This is defence, defence, defence until the end, sacrificing for each other.

“It's incredible how this game went, how we played. This is my third final. I cannot believe that I actually won this one also. We remained calm. We played really good chess-play against Croatia. Especially in our man-up (a one-player advantage after an exclusion foul), they couldn't find a solution for our man-up, it was impossible to defend our man-up.”

On Serbia’s Paris 2024 journey to the final:
“We had our ups and downs. But we are famous for this, we are very hard to beat in the elimination phase. Everybody, I think, underestimated us a little bit because of the results in the group. It happens. We were prepared for when it was the most important.”

Marko BIJAC (CRO) — Captain

On how he feels after the loss:
"It is hard to speak about this game. We were not on the same level that we had (been) in the quarterfinal and the semifinal. This is the only thing I regret. Serbia deserved this victory.

“In some time we will be realise this is an accomplishment. I believe all players and coaches can be proud of our games in Paris and during the entire year; every tournament brings something new. To be honest, we were focused on our presentation here and not the successes in our past; that's the only way to prepare for the Olympic Games. We will always do our best.”

On the match:
“I believe that our biggest problem was at the beginning of the game; we were soft, not aggressive enough; we allowed them too many easy goals. At the beginning of second quarter they had an advantage that we allowed. We were close to coming back into the game, but we were not fast enough. We were not on the level that was needed to win the gold medal today.”

Jure MACELJA (CRO) — Assistant Coach 

On the future:
“It’s going to be four years until the next Olympic Games; Croatia has always set a goal to achieve the highest level at the Olympics.”

Classification 3-4 (Bronze Medal)

Match 41, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 11 HUNGARY 8 in penalty shootout. FT: 8-8. Pens: 3-0. (3-2, 1-1, 2-2, 2-3)

USA is back on the Olympic podium after a break of 16 years when it claimed silver in 2008. The win was achieved in a penalty shootout after USA relinquished two leads and had to come back from 8-6 behind to enforce the shootout.

Johnny Hooper, who sat out the semifinal on a red card for a violence foul, opened the scoring with goals traded. Gergo Zalanki and Chase Dodd scored on extra with Dodd lunging on to a rebound of his shot at bottom right and placing the ball under the arm of goalkeeper Soma Vogel into the net. Denes Varga whipped one in off the first pass on extra and USA skipper Ben Hallock soared high to accept a cross pass to the right post on extra, almost smashing his body into the woodwork. This came with one second on the clock for a 3-2 advantage.

Defence came good in La Defense for both teams in the second quarter as there were only two goals with Luca Cupido firing a snap shot from the left-hand-catch position on extra and Krisztian Manhercz scoring from the top left at 2:23. A USA timeout settled the team, but no goal came from the play. Denes Varga swam up to take a penalty shot at 0:40 and smashed the crossbar.

Varga and Vince Vigvari on extra catapulted Hungary to 5-4 at the start of the third period. USA responded within a minute through Alex Bowen with his brilliant centre-forward, backhand goal. Max Irving sent in a missile and it was 6-5. Defence thwarted many certain goals in the remainder of the quarter. Hungary was like cream rising to the top, scoring three unanswered goals through Adam Nagy with a lob from deep left; Zalanki on extra and Daniel Angyal riding high on the left post to accept a cross pass from the far side for 8-6. USA went to a timeout and Bowen converted at 2:59 for 8-7. Hannes Daube screamed in an extra-man goal for 8-8 at 1:59. Nothing either side could do, brought a goal in those two minutes and the match went to a shootout.

USA went first and Daube, Irving and Bowen were successful. Hungary’s first shot hit the crossbar from Varga (again); Vigvari and Zalanki found the body of Adrian Weinberg and 3-0 was enough to give USA the bronze medal.

Match Heroes
Weinberg was the undoubted USA star with an incredible 16 saves in the goal while Hallock was the only double scorer. Hungary’s best shooters were Zalanki and Varga with two each.

Turning Point
Hungary’s two three-goal stretches and USA’s double to equalise in the final three minutes.

Stats Don’t Lie
USA could only salvage six from 18 on extra to Hungary’s more economical six from 12. Hungary missed the only penalty attempt.

Bottom Line
USA won its ninth medal at Olympic Games, to go with the gold from 1904, four silvers and now four bronzes. Hungary failed to add to its tally of nine golds, three silvers and four bronzes. USA was sixth in Tokyo and ninth in Doha this year. Hungary, seventh in Doha rises to fourth in the world, a year after claiming the world crown in Fukuoka.

What They Said

Alex BOWEN (USA) —Two Goals/Bronze

On taking bronze:
“This is going to be the second happiest day of my life, because I'm getting married in 20 days, so it's a pretty good second. Maybe it'll hold that until I have a kid. Busy summer. This is what I've been working for, what we've been working for, for years and years.

“The grit, the determination to forget the semifinal and come back and win a bronze medal is one of the most defining moments in my life and of this team. It speaks volumes about who we are."

On what he was thinking when his team as two goals behind in the fourth quarter:
“We weren't dead yet, we've still got fight in us, there's still time. And we used it.”

Adrian WEINBERG (USA) — Goalkeeper/ 16 Saves

On taking bronze:
“It's amazing. Big, big win for not just our sport, but our country as well. I mean, when's the last time we won a medal — 2008? So very happy, proud of these guys, to be part of the group that has done this. I'm very excited for LA (Los Angeles Olympics)."

On his early saves in the game, saving eight from 11 shots in the first half:
“Helped me settle, for sure; our defence was playing great, too. Definitely helps a lot when my defence helps me.

“I think the biggest thing is staying composed. There's a lot of ups and downs in every single game, but what you do in those super good moments, super bad moments, determines how the outcome's going to be. I could do a little bit better, for sure; the team could do a little bit better, but I'm excited we just came out with a win.”

Hannes DAUBE (USA) —Goal Scorer

On taking bronze:
“To come home with some hardware is huge. It really took all of us to be resilient and bounce back from the last games (we) lost. We were down two in the end of the fourth quarter, and we stayed positive in the huddle.

“Each and every one of us believed in each other and ourselves, and we were able to execute and be strong. And Adrian Weinberg is a hell of a goalie. I'm super proud of this team, and we're going home with the bronze medal. We're stoked."

On how his game has matured since playing at Tokyo 2020:
“I've grown up a lot. I've spent a lot of time in Europe playing the highest level of water polo and mostly preparing my mind for situations like this. Learning day in and day out, and continuing to believe and prepare my body with these guys, and just keep going. Never stop.”

On the performance of WEINBERG, who did not concede a single goal in the shootout:
“I played against him in college, and he's got the best of me at times. The kid's just incredibly mentally strong, and he really wants it. He can do anything, not just in water polo, but whatever he wants in life. I had full trust in him the whole time.”

Dylan WOODHEAD (USA) — Bronze

On taking bronze:
"It is a lifelong dream. It signifies a lot of hard work, a lot of blood, sweat and tears. It means a lot for the people that helped me get here. My coaches, my family, my friends, my community. I am just so proud of representing Team USA and all those people."

On the team's performance at Paris 2024:
"Against Serbia, we went down, and we could not find a way to climb back. Today, going down two (goals) in the fourth period and being resilient, not giving up, and believing in each other is a really proud moment for me, for this team. I am just really proud to be a part of this group and grateful for the experience."

On the response after trailing by two goals near the end:
"In the semifinal, we did not have the same thing that we had today. The timeout, we just needed to focus on executing, and trusting our team-mates. We have trained our whole lives for this moment. Just because there is pressure on one timeout does not change that. We had to just go out and perform like we know how we needed. The team crushed it."

Chase William DODD (USA) — Goal Scorer

On the team's mindset:
"Throughout the game, even when we were down by two, we just kept going. For the past four years that I have been on the team, we had a lot of opportunities that slipped away from us in these positions. What else is to be done after this? We have nothing else to do after this game. Just go, go, go and it worked for us in this game, and it will work for us in the future."

On the timeout before tying the game:
"We all focused up. We said, 'we are not out of this yet, there are still three minutes to go, we have come down by way more in bigger games, like come on, this is our game, we got to do it, let's go’. This was kind of motivation for us, and also, we have nothing to lose here."

On taking bronze with his brother Ryder DODD:
"I don't think that words can describe what it means. You cannot even imagine this. It's insane. I know it is a bronze medal, like there is always gold. Cherish it right now, but (Los Angeles) 2028, go for that gold."

Ryder DODD (USA) — Bronze

On bouncing back after the semifinal loss to Serbia:
"Closing out that game, we did not play our best. Right after the game, our mindset was to win the bronze-medal game. Just staying consistent to what we know. Any time we thought of a system, it kind of did not go our way. The moment we fell back to what we knew is when it worked out."

On if he imagined securing a medal with his brother Chase DODD:
"Honestly, I could not. This moment, me and him, we are going to share for a lifetime. If you told me three years ago that I would be in this exact situation, I would tell you that you are crazy. For it to happen now, I can’t really believe it and I am truly proud of us."

On going to college after Paris 2024:
"Obviously, going into college is really going to help me get that experience to give to my college team-mates. Then, going into the next Games, at home (Los Angeles 2028), it will really help me with the experience that I have had here in big-pressure moments."

Classification 5-6

Match 40, GREECE 15 SPAIN 13 (2-2, 6-4, 4-1, 3-6)

Spain, the pre-Games favourite, leaves Paris with sixth position after losing to Greece in a thrilling last three quarters. For Spain it was not a third time on a dais this year. For Greece, it was  retribution for topping its group and then its 12-11 loss to Serbia in the quarterfinals.  

The first quarter lacked the intensity of a final and the teams were going through the motions. It was for fifth place, after all, and not what they had come to Paris to achieve. Alvaro Granados scored his 20^th goal to start proceedings, but not until 4:22 when he cross-caged a shot on extra. Efstathios Kalogeropoulos replied on the next attack from the top left. He nearly had a second soon after when he spotted Spanish goalkeeper Unai Aguirre out of his goal, firing long and hard, but Aguirre snatched it back as it was 30cm short of the line. Konstantinos Genidounias buried a penalty shot and Bernat Sanahuja made it 2-2 on extra.

Dimitrios Skoumpakis converted extra from the wide left and Felipe Perrone, the five-time Olympian, scored his 12^th goal on penalty. Alexandros Papanastasiou regained the lead for Greece with the deepest of shots from the bottom right, almost handing the ball over the line. Roger Tahull, the Spanish man mountain, scored off the left-post position on extra with several players covering him for 4-4. Konstantinos Kakaris and Alejandro Bustos traded extra-man goals for 5-5. Genidounias with an action shot from left-hand catch continued the horse trading for 6-5. Bustos scored off the right-post position on a cross pass from Granados for 6-6 and Genidounias nailed his third and 11^th in total with a superb lob shot from the top right. He was backed up by Papanastasiou with his ninth goal for a two-goal margin just before halftime. What a busy period compared to the first — 10 goals.

Nikolaos Gkillas from the right and Greek captain Ioannis Fountoulis converted a penalty for his 12^th strike. Sanahuja increased his total to 14 with a powerful shot from the right and Fountoulis converted a second penalty foul for 11-7. Stylianos Argyropoulos sent in the third Greek penalty in four minutes for 12-7. Spain was not being allowed to play its natural game.

Alberto Munarriz opened the final quarter with his 16^th strike in Paris and 40^th goal from three Olympic appearances. Kakaris replied for Greece and Perrone on extra and Bustos on counter dragged the margin back to three. Greece took a timeout and head coach Theodoros Vlachos lambasted his team for its lack of concentration. The poor Greek attack was caned with Marc Larumbe scoring on counter for 13-11 at 3:32. Papanastasiou scored off a six-metre foul with the ball being stopped by the goalkeeper but spinning up and over his head into the cage. It was 14-11 at 3:01. Sanahuja hammered one in from the top, his 16^th, and 14-12 at 2:31. Spain brought it to one when Larumbe scored from the top on extra at 1:30. Greece took a timeout at 1:17 to try and slow the Spanish wave. Kakaris received the pass on the right post and two shots denied, or so it seemed. VAR was used soon after to decide that one of those shots did actually get across the line.  It was enough for Greece to win and Spain to be bundled out after winning its group with five straight victories.  

Match Heroes
Genidounias, Papanastasiou and Kakaris scored three each for Greece and goalkeeper Panagiotis Tzortzatos had a terrific match with 14 saves.

Turning Point
Greece heading to 12-7 by the final break and Spain coming back to 14-13 with 90 seconds left on the clock.

Stats Don’t Lie
Greece was immaculate on extra-man attack with four from four but it tended to commit major fouls and gave Spain 16 opportunities, from which it took eight goals. Spain gave up four penalty goals to Greece.

Bottom Line
Greece departs with fifth place, three lower than in Tokyo three years ago. Greece was fifth in the Europeans in January and fifth in the Doha world championships. European champion Spain, also the bronze medallist in Doha, could not reach a pinnacle three times in eight months.

Final Classifications:

1. Serbia
2. Croatia
3. United States of America
4. Hungary
5. Greece
6. Spain
7. Italy
8. Australia
9. Montenegro
10. France
11. Japan
12. Romania