FINA Water Polo World League: Day 4 Part One – Croatia 13-11 against USA, Australia Defeat Spain 6-5
As the FINA Water Polo World League Super Finals reach the penultimate stages, the battle for places is getting more and more competitive. On day 4 of the competition, there were four quarterfinals played in Nis, Serbia. Part one covers the first two of these four finals played on the 17th of July: the games between United States and Croatia and Spain vs. Australia.
The Croatians, who reached the final of the tournament last year in Podgorico, Montenegro, came in to their quarterfinal match against the United States after a rather disappointing group stage, which saw them finish third behind hosts Serbia and Australia. The United States, on the other hand, finished second in their group, behind last year's champions Montenegro, and looked like they would have the cutting edge to get past a Croatian side seemingly in decline.
As it turned out though, it was the Croatians who ran away with the victory, defeating the United States 13-11. The Croatians were deserving winners in the match, which they dominated from the very start. The men from the United States were completely out of the running by the end of the third period, but two consecutive goals in the fourth period meant that they still had a chance of defeating the Europeans. However, at the end of the game, the Croatians were too strong and held on for an important victory which gives them a place in the semifinals of the competition.
Croatia had two players in particular to thank for their victory. Maro Jokovic and Sandro Sukno played out one of the best games of their careers, and ended up scoring three goals apiece. The goals came at crucial times and meant that the United States were put in a very difficult situation. Tony Azavedo was the standout performer for the Americans, also scoring three goals in the match, but unfortunately for him, his efforts were in vain as the United States now only have the 5-8th place playoffs to look forward to.
The second game of the day, between Spain and Australia, was the tightest of the quarterfinal round, as both teams match each other in all departments. The Spanish started off as the better of the two sides and went on to dominate the first two periods. After the half time break, Australia started to come back into the game and forced an equalizer. By the middle of the final period, the game was nicely poised, with the score at 5-5, as either team had an opportunity to book a place in the semifinals yet.
It was Nick O'Halloran of Australia who scored the all-important winner, as Australia moved to the semifinals and Spain were left to play in the 5-8th place playoffs alongside the United States, who had lost earlier. The result was justified, since Australia had performed better in the group stages as well, and based on their overall level of quality, it had to be them. And if players like Nick O'Halloran continue to perform, they might do one better and get to the final this time around.
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