Professional Water Polo DVDs | Water Polo News | Players

CROATIA-HUNGARY 9:14 (3:4, 1:0, 2:5, 3:5)

It was a sleepy Saturday morning... just like the beginning of the game. Croatia and Hungary went head-by-head... Markovic scored first, then Tibor Benedek replied twice in a row, then Markovic again (2:2). Croatia took the lead by Loncar (3:2), but their goalie couldn't do anything with Tibor Benedek's overshot (3:3). A Hungarian man-up was finished by left-hand player Csaba Kiss (3:4). In the 2nd quarter Markovic equalizes (4:4), both Hungary and Croatia misses a man-up, but Marton Szivos gets a nice bal... and shots it to the goal-post.

In the 3rd, Croatia takes the ball, but couldn't no score... unlike Gergely Kiss, swimming away and dropping the ball (4:5). Croatia gets a double man-up, and Antonijevic scores (5:5), but a quick reply from Norbert Hosnyanszky (gets the ball and shots a big one from the back) - 5:6. Gergely Kiss scoring from the left (5:7). Zoltan Szecsi saves two big Croatian shot in a row, but Boskovic executes a man-up situation (6:7). Tamas Molnar's shot is blocked at first, but than in a man-up, after getting a ball, he shots it right away (6:8). It's almost the end of the quarter, and before the horn yammers Tibor Benedek scores a big one from around 10-12 meters (6:9).

After getting the ball in the final quarter, Boskovic shots out of the blue (7:9). Tamas Molnar moves away from his defender, gets the ball, waits for the goalie to sink, than simply drops (7:10). And it's still Tamas Molnar... now dropping the ball from the far... ball moves to goal line from the top post... Peter Biros realizes the situation first, and flicks to ball to Tibor Benedek, who's not in a hesitate mood at all (7:11). Buljubasic makes some changes on the result from the left (8:11). And then Tibor Benedek (again!), shots the ball between the eye of the goalie:) (8:12). Csaba Kiss spins around a bit with the ball, and then shots it to the short corner (9:13). Daniel Varga gets the ball, Hungary swims away 2-1, and Daniel gives the ball to his, brother Denes, who finishes the attack (9:14). And... end of the game.

SUMM: Croatia is strange... haven't won any game in Spain so far... everybody beats them and not just by 1-2 goals. At first I thought... oh, yeah, they want Hungary... and really wants to beat them... and Hungary... well... after a sleepy start (hey, organizers, water is still too cold!:), they simply "massacred" Croatia. I admit... I were them, it would be confidence killing Tibor Benedek scoring 6 (!!!) all by himself. Still a surprising thing to me, that Croatia simply cannot do anything with Tibor. According to Tibor Benedek, that was the first time he scored from half-line ("so far I envied the others...:).

Croatia has one more game left... Spain tomorrow... now I wonder... two un-motivated team playing against each other... well that won't be the game of the century. Hungary will meet Russia tomorrow who has pretty strong confidence now... and we'll see what it's enough for.

CROATIA- scorers: Markovic 3, Buljubasic 2, Boskovic 2, Antonijevic 1, Loncar 1

HUNGARY-scorers: T. Benedek 6, G. Kiss 2, Cs. Kiss 2, T. Molnar 2, Denes Varga 1, N. Hosnyanszky 1