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Serbia retains World Cup crown in penalty shootout over Hungary
| | | Sunday 24 August 2014, 08:44 | | | Tim Hartog |
For the third time this year, Serbia beat Hungary in a gold-medal final after the June FINA World League Super Final in Dubai, UAE, and the July European Championships in Budapest, Hungary. The victory was the third time Serbia has reached the top step on the podium after winning as Serbia & Montenegro in Budapest in 2006 and as Serbia in Oradeo, Romania in 2010. Much of the success of Serbia was put down to goalkeeper Stefan Zivodinovic , whose vital saves in the dying moments of the final typified his drive, determination and blocking skills. For Hungary it was a fourth silver medal to go with its three gold and two bronzes at World Cups — the most medals of any country since the first edition in 1979. Hungary’s last victory was in 1999 in Sydney, Australia at the start of its magnificent run that led to three consecutive Olympic titles. Hungary led most of the match and was only inside the final two minutes that Serbia drew level to force the penalty shootout and win it 4-2 for ultimate success in Almaty. Hungarian captain Daniel Varga was adjudged the best player in the tournament, as voted by the coaches, so dangerous an opponent he was.
In the bronze-medal final, Croatia added to its lone silver achieved in Oradeo last time out, beating United States of America 8-6. For the USA, it was not to be a first bronze medal, following golds in 1991 in Barcelona, Spain and 1997 in Athens, Greece. It also won two silvers — in 1979 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and 1985 in Duisberg, Germany. USA’s Jesse Smith was named the best defender and teammate Bret Bonnani amassed the highest number of goals with 13. Australia, whose previous best at World Cups was a bronze medal in 1993, took out fifth place with a well-controlled 12-6 victory over Kazakhstan, who upset Montenegro the day before. It was Kazakhstan’s first visit to the World Cup. Montenegro, so disappointing in Almaty, had to settle for seventh place, beating South Africa, another World Cup newcomer, 13-10. Earlier in the week Montenegro beat South Africa 12-4, so it showed how much the African qualifier improved during the week. From the tournament, four teams qualified for the 2015 FINA World Championships. As Serbia and Hungary had qualified from the FINA World League, the next four teams gained a spot for Kazan — Croatia, USA, Australia and Kazakhstan.
Working the score bench during the week was former international referee Vladimir Prikhodko (KAZ), who refereed the 1999 men’s World Cup final in Sydney. Among his many other appointments, he also controlled the 1996 Olympic Games men’s final in Atlanta, USA, the 2000 Olympic women’s final in Sydney and the final of the men’s FINA World Championship in Rome, Italy in 1994.
2014 FINA Men's World Cup
Almaty, Kazakhstan
19-24 August
Schedule and results
Sunday, 24 August - final round
South Africa (L17) vs. Montenegro (L18) 10-13 (2-3, 1-3, 4-4, 3-3) - (7th/8th place)
SOUTH AFRICA: Dwayne Flatscher, Etienne Le Roux (2), Devon Card (1), Ignardus Badenhorst (2), Nicholas Rodda, Joao Marco De Carvalho (1), Lodewyk Rabie (1), Jared Wingate-Pearse, Dean Whyte, Pierre Le Roux (3), Christopher Baker, Nicholas Hock, Julian Lewis. Head Coach: Paul Martin.
MONTENEGRO: Dejan Lazovic, Marko Vukmirovic, Nikola Markovic (1), Stefan Vidovic (1), Darko Brguljan, Bogdan Durdic, Dorde Bulatovic (2), Jovan Saric (4), Radovan Latinovic, Nikola Murisic (3), Filip Klikovac, Uros Cuckovic (2), Slaven Kandic. Head Coach: Ranko Perovic.
Montenegro gained its second win of the week and they were both against South Africa. Montenegro won the first encounter in the rounds 12-4. While South Africa seemed to improve with each match, Montenegro has had a patchy week and needed to save face with victory today. South Africa showed its best attacking play of the week and opened through Etienne Le Roux from the top right. Montenegro went 2-1 up and Etienne Le Roux equalised. However, Nikola Murisic, off the near post, converted extra-man attack for 3-2 by quarter time. Jovan Saric scored twice, Uros Cuckovic added a second and the match was at 6-2. Radovan Latinovic was sent for disrespect at 5:28 in the second quarter and left the pool deck. Joao Marco De Carvalho lifted South Africa to within three at 5:06 and there were no more goals for the half. The third period was exciting for the number of goals and the fact that it was squared at 4-4. Pierre Le Roux scored his first and second and Saric netted his third for Montenegro. Both teams scored a centre-forward goal — a rarity at this event — to close the quarter at 10-7. Murisic received a clean pass cross-cage to tip in for 11-7 in the fourth quarter and Pierre Le Roux responded with a high-left shot at the other end for his third goal. Just like he did against South Africa earlier in the tournament, Saric scored his fourth goal on extra for 12-8 and ninth for the tournament. Badenhorst scored his second with a backhander from two metres and Murisic netted a third at 2:23. The final score belonged to South Africa when Devon Card tipped in an angled pass to two metres for double figures. South Africa scored just nine goals in the five lead-up matches, so to manage 10 in the last day — and against Montenegro — was most commendable.
Australia (W17) vs. Kazakhstan (W18) 12-6 (1-1, 5-2, 4-2, 2-1) - (5th/6th place)
AUSTRALIA: James Clark, Richard Campbell, George Ford, John Cotterill (4), Nathan Power, Jarrod Gilchrist (1), Aidan Roach (3), Aaron Younger (3), Lachlan Edwards, Tyler Martin, Mitchell Emery (1), Blake Edwards, Edward Slade, James Stanton. Head Coach: Elvis Fatovic.
KAZAKHSTAN: Makhmetov Madikhen, Sergey Gubarev, Yevgeniy Medvedev, Roman Pilipenko (1), Vladimir Ushakov, Alexey Shmider, Murat Shakenov, Anton Koliadenko (1), Rustam Ukumanov (2), Mikhail Ruday (1), Ravil Manafov (1), Branko Pekovich, Valeriy Shlemov. Head Coach: Sergey Drozdov.
Australia played a controlled match against a potentially potent Kazakhstan, fresh from qualifying for next year’s FINA World Championships in Russia. Playing without a renowned centre forward, worked for extra-man chances and conversions while taking good options. Kazakhstan was not allowed to play at the intensity of the day before. Both teams took time to settle into the match and it was not until 1:18 that Anton Koliadenko blasted one in from the top for Kazakhstan. At 0:28, John Cotterill converted extra man at his second attempt of the phase. He opened the second quarter from deep left and a minute later Jarrod Gilchrist had the Aussie Sharks 3-1 up on a 2m cross pass on extra. Rustam Ukumanov converted a penalty; Aidan Roach sent one into the bottom right from the top and Ukumanov slid sideways , accepted a pass and scored from deep left for 4-3. Aaron Younger accepted the easiest of cross passes to score from point blank and Cotterill scored his eighth goal of the tournament from the left-post position on a one-stroke drive for 6-3 by halftime. Roach took it to 7-3 early in the third period and Mikhail Ruday responded on counter. Younger grabbed his second, also on counter and Roman Pilipenko converted extra-man attack for 8-5. Cotterill scored his fourth and Roach his third — on counter — for 10-5 by 1:37. Both teams called a timeout, but could not gain a goal by the final break. Ravil Manafov started the fourth period to breathe life into Kazakhstan’s claims, but Younger with his third and Mitchell Emery on extra, took the score out to 12-6 in favour of the Sharks. On the opening night, Australia beat Kazakhstan 11-8.
USA (L19) vs. Croatia (L20) 6-8 (2-2, 1-3, 0-2, 3-1) - (3rd/4th place)
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Merrill Moses, Ryder Roberts, Alex Obert (1), Michael Rosenthal, Luca Cupido (1), Conner Cleary, Josh Samuels, Bret Bonnani, Alex Bowen (2), Nolan McConnell (1), Jesse Smith (1), John Mann, McQuin Baron. Head Coach: Dejan Udovicic.
CROATIA: Marko Bijac, Luka Bukic (2), Ivan Milakovic (3), Marino Divkovic, Ante Vukicevic (1), Ivan Buljubasic, Petar Muslim, Kristijan Milakovic (1), Ante Viskovic, Duje Zivkovic, Andelo Setka, Marko Macan (1), Ivan Marcelic. Head Coach: Ivica Tucak.
Croatia claimed the bronze medal with a strong game in the middle part of the match. By restricting USA to one goal in those periods, it set itself up for the victory. USA opened through Nolan McConnell and led 2-1 when Jesse Smith dragged down a ball on the far post on extra-man attack by 2:13. However, Luca Bukic repaired the damage, also on extra, to close the quarter at 2-2. Ivan Milakovic scored a centre-forward goal for 3-2 on the first attack of the second quarter and the margin stretched out to three when Ante Vukicevic and Kristijan Milakovic gave Croatia the lead it needed. Alex Bowen fired one back for USA to close the half at 5-3 in favour of Croatia. Ivan Milakovic scored his third and Bukic his second in the only goals of the period at a time when USA struggled on extra-man attack and could not make the shots count. At four goals down by the final break, USA was not out of the match. Luca Cupido pulled back one but Marko Macan took it back out to four. Both teams went to timeouts and Bowen made USA’s break work when scoring at 3:53 for 8-5. Bret Bonnani had a chance to narrow it further at 2:27, but his penalty attempt was blocked by Marko Bijac. Alex Obert made sure of his shot at 1:02 for 8-6, but it was too late. The middle of the match proved the killer for USA and assured Croatia of the bronze medal.
Hungary (W19) vs. Serbia (W20) 9-19 (2-1, 3-3, 1-1, 1-2; penalties: 2-4) - - (1st/2nd place)
HUNGARY: Attila Decker, Miklos Gor-Nagy, Norbert Madaras (1), Balazs Erdelyi (4), Bence Batori (1), Norbert Hosnyanszky (1), Adam Decker (1), Daniel Angyal, Daniel Varga, Krisztian Bedo, Balazs Harai (1), Marton Levai. Head Coach: Tibor Benedek.
SERBIA: Stefan Zivodinovic, Strahinja Rasovic (1), Dimitrije Obradovic (2), Dusan Markovic, Gavril Subotic (3), Nikola Eskert, Dusan Mandic (1), Viktor Rasovic, Sava Randelovic, Nemanda Ubovic (1), Dusan Vasic (2), Srdan Vuksanovic, Dimitrije Risticevic. Head Coach: Dejan Savic.
Serbia needed a goal inside the final two minutes to force a penalty shootout and Gavril Subotic gave Serbia that chance. In the shootout one Hungarian shot was blocked and the second hit the crossbar. Serbia made sure of all four attempts and laid its hands on the trophy. Hungary made all the play until the final two minutes and wanted to prove that it was not a one-man team. Hungary played without Denes Varga, who was on a one-match suspension for a brutality foul sustained late in the semifinal match with USA on Saturday. He sat in the media stand, draped in a Hungarian robe.
The first quarter was tight with two action goals and Bence Batori’s opening goal on extra. Serbia levelled through Dimitrije Obradovic on counter, receiving a pass and turning to score. Adam Decker and Norbert Hosnyanszky made it 4-2 before Nemanda Ubovic, who missed a match through suspension earlier in the tournament, pulled one back from the two-metre line. Gavril Subotic scored his 10th goal of the World Cup on extra to level at 4-4. Daniel Angyal had a glorious chance to take Hungary ahead late in the period but watched as his point-blank shot was blocked by goalkeeper Stefan Zivodinovic, the best keeper of the tournament. Balazs Erdelyi struck twice for Hungary, the first from an inside pass on two metres for 5-4 to close the half. Then he opened the third quarter with a blast from four metres for 6-4 at 6.50 in the third. Obradovic converted extra-man attack for 6-5 at 4:46 and from then until the end of the period, there were no more goals. Decker scored his second on extra when he received a pass from Daniel Varga for 7-5 at 6:42 in the fourth period. Dusan Vasic scored above the head of Attila Decker for 706 at 5:32.
The match was starting to get to the most exciting stage and Denes Varga was standing in the seats. Both teams missed extra-man chances heading into the final three minutes. On the third extra, Krisztian Bedo had a close shot blocked, as Serbia had its attempt stopped at the other end. Serbia gained a turnover inside two minutes and Subotic calmly took the ball up and when not defended he sent the ball into the top left for 7-7 at 1:40. On the next attack, Sava Randelovic gained his third major foul and Hungary called a timeout at 1:17. Hosnyanszky steered the ball to Balasz Harai on the far post, but Zivodinovic blocked it, as he did a subsequent shot. Hungary regained and, with the seconds ticking down, captain Daniel Varga, voted the most valuable player of the tournament despite missing two matches through an allergic reaction to celery, took the crucial final shot. It bounced off a defender and hit Zivodinovic in the face and the match went to a penalty shootout. Hungary shot first and Madaras and Mandic traded goals. Then Batori had his shot blocked by the keeper. Subotic scored his 12th goal of the week and Hosnyanszky hit the cross bar. Strahinja Rasovic converted for 10-8 and Erdelyi made it 9-10. The Vasic stepped up to score for Serbia and take the gold medal at 11-9.
Match reports and photographs: Russel McKinnon.
Award winners
MVP: Daniel Varga (HUN)
Best goalkeeper: Stefan Zivodinovic (SRB)
Highest goal-scorer Bret Bonnani (USA)
Best defender: Jessie Smith (USA)
España no estará en el Mundial de Kazan 2015
23/08/2014 - NOTA RFEN.— Ante algunos comentarios aparecidos en las últimas horas en las redes sociales, nos hacemos eco de la información oficial de la Web FINA en la que informa, respecto a la Copa del Mundo Masculina de Waterpolo que se está celebrando en Almaty (Kazakhstan), que la derrota de la favorita Montenegro ante los anfitriones de Kazakhstan por 8—9 a 2.7 segundos del final provocó el delirio local y que la séptima plaza de España obtenida en los Europeos de Budapest 2014 sea estéril.
A falta de confirmación definitiva de la FINA sobre los países que finalmente han ganado su plaza para estar en los próximos Campeonatos del Mundo FINA Kazan 2015, la única vía para estar en el Mundial sería acceder al mismo por la renuncia de algún país y posterior invitación.
Conviene recordar que España -uno de los históricos en Campeonatos del Mundo desde siempre- jugó en el denominado "grupo de la muerte" del Europeo de Budapest 2014 frente a las campeonas olímpica, mundial y europea (Hungría, Croacia y Serbia) en julio, y que la clasificación directa era harto complicada, mientras que la indirecta dependía aún de lo que ocurriese en la actual Copa del Mundo en Almaty (Kazakhstan), donde Montenegro, que ha perdido el partido clave para nuestros intereses con una inferior Kazakhstan, ha jugado con un equipo B con solo dos titulares respecto al Campeonato de Europa de Budapest 2014 donde obtuvieron su plaza mundialista.
Una España en creciente renovación, no obstante, continúa su ruta de viaje para intentar llegar a los Juegos Olímpicos de Río 2016, en gran objetivo del actual ciclo, y se preparará para la Liga Mundial 2014-15 antes de los Campeonatos de Europa de Belgrado 2016 (enero) paso previo para alcanzar el billete para la gran cita olímpica.
Esta la Ficha técnica y el comentario en la Web oficial de la FINA sobre lo ocurrido en el partido que ha dejado fuera a España del Mundial de Kazan 2015:
Match 18: 15:50, 5-8 Semifinal, MONTENEGRO 8 KAZAKHSTAN 9
Quarters: 2-3, 4-1, 1-1, 1-4
Referees: Georgios Stavridis (GRE), Gabor Vogel (HUN).
Extra Man: MNE: 4/9. KAZ: 2/11.
Pens: KAZ: 1/1.
Teams:
MONTENEGRO: Dejan Lazovic, Marko Vukmirovic, Nikola Markovic, Stefan Vidovic (1), Darko Brguljan (6), Bogdan Durdic, Dorde Bulatovic, Jovan Saric, Radovan Latinovic, Nikola Murisic, Filip Klikovac (1), Uros Cuckovic, Slaven Kandic. Head Coach: Ranko Perovic.
KAZAKHSTAN: Makhmetov Madikhen, Sergey Gubarev (2), Yevgeniy Medvedev, Roman Pilipenko (1), Vladimir Ushakov (3), Alexey Shmider, Murat Shakenov (2), Anton Koliadenko, Rustam Ukumanov (1), Mikhail Ruday, Ravil Manafov, Branko Pekovich, Valeriy Shlemov., Head Coach: Sergey Drozdov.
Quarters: 2-3, 4-1, 1-1, 1-4
Referees: Georgios Stavridis (GRE), Gabor Vogel (HUN).
Extra Man: MNE: 4/9. KAZ: 2/11.
Pens: KAZ: 1/1.
Teams:
MONTENEGRO: Dejan Lazovic, Marko Vukmirovic, Nikola Markovic, Stefan Vidovic (1), Darko Brguljan (6), Bogdan Durdic, Dorde Bulatovic, Jovan Saric, Radovan Latinovic, Nikola Murisic, Filip Klikovac (1), Uros Cuckovic, Slaven Kandic. Head Coach: Ranko Perovic.
KAZAKHSTAN: Makhmetov Madikhen, Sergey Gubarev (2), Yevgeniy Medvedev, Roman Pilipenko (1), Vladimir Ushakov (3), Alexey Shmider, Murat Shakenov (2), Anton Koliadenko, Rustam Ukumanov (1), Mikhail Ruday, Ravil Manafov, Branko Pekovich, Valeriy Shlemov., Head Coach: Sergey Drozdov.
Kazakhstan really wanted to beat Montenegro and qualify for the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia. It needed to win the final quarter by three goals. It needed to score a goal in the dying seconds. This it did. Even thought it was semifinal for the 5-8 positions, because of the make-up of the tournament and the fact that four qualifiers would come from the top six positions, Kazakhstan needed to gain a spot as of right and not to have to go to next month’s Asian Games in Korea and win the title for the spot. Now it has the luxury of competing knowing that it has already booked a plane trip to Kazan. Rustam Ukumanov was the go-to man for the winner. He obliged off a superb pass from Vladimir Ushakov from the top left. Ukumanov was on the far post and he took the catch with ease, turned dlowly and planted the ball down in the bottom right while the goalkeeper was on the other side of the cage. The goal came at 0:02.7 seconds and the crowd was ecstatic. Montenegro, now not bringing a better team to Almaty, will be looking elsewhere to gain a spot in Kazan. Montenegro always struggled and without Darko Brguljan, it would have been toast. He scored six of Montenegro’s eight goals and when Kazakhstan twigged to his potency he was pushed out of the way in the final five minutes after he had just gained his sixth. Montenegro took the lead at 4-3 early in the second quarter and was 6-4 ahead at halftime. This became 7-4 late in the third before Ushakov converted a penalty goal five seconds from the final break. Murat Shakenov scored either side of Brguljan’s sixth goal and when Sergey Gubarev went on counter to score at 2:02, the pool was set alight and at 8-8 there was a good chance for Kazakhstan to win. It came after a timeout at 0:42 and an earned extra-man attack. Kazakhstan was patient and sought out the right man for victory. Montenegro, shocked early, did not know how to finish and looked hesitant. Kazakhstan, however, had a reputation and a home crowd to protect. An assistant coach for Montenegro gained a red card after the final goal.
Comunicación RFEN- Foto: Instante en el que Kazakhstan se presta a batir a Montenegro y dejar a España sin Mundial 2015 ( Russell McKinnon-FINA).
Day 6 Last day
Day 5 23/08/14 1/2 finals
It’s Serbia versus Hungary again for a gold medal
| | | Saturday 23 August 2014, 14:18 | | | Tim Hartog |
In the classification 5-8 semifinals, Australia beat South Africa 13-2 and Kazakhstan upset Montenegro 9-8 with a Rustam Ukumanov extra-man goal in the last two seconds. Four teams qualify out of this World Cup for next year’s FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia, and as Serbia and Hungary finished 1-2 at the June FINA World League Super Final, they were pre-qualified. That meant the next four teams would go to Kazan. USA and Croatia are the next two teams off the rank, while Australia and Kazakhstan take the third and fourth spots regardless of how they finish in their fifth-sixth play-off on Sunday.
Montenegro missed out on a World Cup qualification berth for Kazan, but will still travel, thanks to grabbing the third European berth from the recent European Championships in Budapest. The biggest loser from today’s Kazakhstan victory over Montenegro, was Spain, who will now not contest the world championships. 2014 FINA Men's World Cup
Almaty, Kazakhstan
19-24 August
Schedule and results
Saturday, 23 August - semi-final round
Australia (L13) vs. South Africa (L16) 13-2 (3-2, 3-0, 5-0, 2-0) - game 17
AUSTRALIA: James Clark, Richard Campbell, George Ford (2), John Cotterill (2), Nathan Power (1), Jarrod Gilchrist (3), Aidan Roach (2), Aaron Younger, Lachlan Edwards, Tyler Martin (1), Mitchell Emery (1), Blake Edwards, Edward Slade, James Stanton. Head Coach: Elvis Fatovic.
SOUTH AFRICA: Dwayne Flatscher, Etienne Le Roux, Devon Card (1), Ignardus Badenhorst, Nicholas Rodda, Joao Marco De Carvalho, Lodewyk Rabie, Jared Wingate-Pearse, Dean Whyte, Pierre Le Roux (1), Christopher Baker, Nicholas Hock, Julian Lewis. Head Coach: Paul Martin.
Australia qualified for next year’s FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia by virtue of beating South Africa in the 5-8 semifinals. South Africa had the lead for the first time in the tournament when captain Pierre Le Roux played on when all appeared lost and slipped the ball around goalkeeper James Stanton.
The Aussie Sharks worked their plays and three straight goals gave them a quarter-time lead. South Africa tried, but could not score for the rest of the match and even had a Pierre Le Roux penalty shot blocked by Stanton with seven seconds remaining. The Sharks went on counter, converted extra-man attacks and scored from all angles in pursuit of better tactics before the classification match for fifth place on Sunday. Devon Card scored an excellent centre-forward goal for 1-1 and has been the driving force at the front for a team that head coach Paul Martin said was concentrating on finishing rather than defence as where national teams have done in the past. Australia’s normal big scorers took a back seat as head coach Elvis Fatovic (CRO) gave pool time and extra attention to their skills.
Montenegro (L14) vs. Kazakhstan (L15) 8-9 (2-3, 4-1, 1-1, 1-4) - game 18
MONTENEGRO: Dejan Lazovic, Marko Vukmirovic, Nikola Markovic, Stefan Vidovic (1), Darko Brguljan (6), Bogdan Durdic, Dorde Bulatovic, Jovan Saric, Radovan Latinovic, Nikola Murisic, Filip Klikovac (1), Uros Cuckovic, Slaven Kandic. Head Coach: Ranko Perovic.
KAZAKHSTAN: Makhmetov Madikhen, Sergey Gubarev (2), Yevgeniy Medvedev, Roman Pilipenko (1), Vladimir Ushakov (3), Alexey Shmider, Murat Shakenov (2), Anton Koliadenko, Rustam UkumanoV (1), Mikhail Ruday, Ravil Manafov, Branko Pekovich, Valeriy Shlemov., Head Coach: Sergey Drozdov.
Kazakhstan really wanted to beat Montenegro and qualify for the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia. It needed to win the final quarter by three goals. It needed to score a goal in the dying seconds. This it did. Even though it was semifinal for the 5-8 positions, because of the make-up of the tournament and the fact that four qualifiers would come from the top six positions, Kazakhstan needed to gain a spot as of right and not to have to go to next month’s Asian Games in Korea and win the title for the spot. Now it has the luxury of competing knowing that it has already booked a plane trip to Kazan. Rustam Ukumanov was the go-to man for the winner. He obliged off a superb pass from Vladimir Ushakov from the top left. Ukumanov was on the far post and he took the catch with ease, turned dlowly and planted the ball down in the bottom right while the goalkeeper was on the other side of the cage.
The goal came at 0:02.7 seconds and the crowd was ecstatic. Montenegro always struggled and without Darko Brguljan, it would have been toast. He scored six of Montenegro’s eight goals and when Kazakhstan twigged to his potency he was pushed out of the way in the final five minutes after he had just gained his sixth. Montenegro took the lead at 4-3 early in the second quarter and was 6-4 ahead at halftime. This became 7-4 late in the third before Ushakov converted a penalty goal five seconds from the final break. Murat Shakenov scored either side of Brguljan’s sixth goal and when Sergey Gubarev went on counter to score at 2:02, the pool was set alight and at 8-8 there was a good chance for Kazakhstan to win. It came after a timeout at 0:42 and an earned extra-man attack. Kazakhstan was patient and sought out the right man for victory. Montenegro, shocked early, did not know how to finish and looked hesitant. Kazakhstan, however, had a reputation and a home crowd to protect. An assistant coach for Montenegro gained a red card after the final goal.
Semi-finalsUSA (W13) vs. Hungary (W16) 5-7 (1-3, 1-2, 2-2, 1-0) - game 19
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Merrill Moses, Ryder Roberts, Alex Obert, Michael Rosenthal, Luca Cupido (1), Conner Cleary, Josh Samuels, Bret Bonnani, Alex Bowen (1), Nolan McConnell (1), Jesse Smith, John Mann (2), McQuin Baron. Head Coach: Dejan Udovicic.
HUNGARY: Attila Decker, Miklos Gor-Nagy, Norbert Madaras (1), Balazs Erdelyi, Bence Batori (1), Norbert Hosnyanszky, Adam Decker, Daniel Angyal, Daniel Varga, Denes Varga (3), Krisztian Bedo, Balazs Harai (1), Marton Levai. Head Coach: Tibor Benedek.
Hungary superstar Denes Varga did his team no favours by committing a brutality foul with a little more than two minutes remaining in the first medal semifinal and will be suspended for the gold-medal final. The foul meant USA was given a penalty attempt and would play the final minutes one man up. Alex Bowen had his attempt tipped by Attila Decker, but it was unseen by the referees and the Hungarians went on attack. No score came and the hopes were for USA who had a pass intercepted and the game swung back to Hungary. A missed shot late in the match gave the ball to Hungary, who swam into the gold-medal final, but will have to play without its star, who gains an automatic one-match suspension. It was the second brutality foul of the tournament following one from Serbian Nemanda Ubovic’s indiscretion two days ago.
Hungary was pressured all the way and USA opened through Nolan McConnell only to see Hungary — with Denes Varga scoring his first —shoot to 3-1 by the first break. John Mann scored from two metres for USA and Denes Varga slid deep, accepted a pass and scored for 4-2 — the only goals of the period. Bowen and Mann lifted the score to 5-4 to give USA hope. Later in the period Denes Varga scored again and Norbert Madaras scored with two seconds left for 7-4. Luca Cupido lobbed from the top for 7-5 at 3:11 and a minute later Denes Varga collected his brutality foul.
Croatia (W14) vs. Serbia (W15) 4-7 (1-2, 0-2, 1-3, 2-0) - game 20
CROATIA: Marko Bijac, Luka Bukic, Ivan Milakovic, Marino Divkovic, Ante Vukicevic, Ivan Buljubasic, Petar Muslim (1), Kristijan Milakovic (2), Ante Viskovic, Duje Zivkovic (2), Andelo Setka, Marko Macan, Ivan Marcelic. Head Coach: Ivica Tucak.
SERBIA: Stefan Zivodinovic, Strahinja Rasovic (1), Dimitrije Obradovic, Dusan Markovic (1), Gavril Subotic (1), Nikola Eskert, Dusan Mandic (2), Viktor Rasovic (1), Sava Randelovic, Nemanda Ubovic, Dusan Vasic, Srdan Vuksanovic (1), Dimitrije Risticevic. Head Coach: Dejan Savic.
Serbia proved its worth and why it is the best team in the world this year. Winner of the FINA World League in Dubai in June and then winner of the European Championships in Budapest last month. What a summer! Now it’s another gold-medal final and for the third tournament running, Hungary will be the opponent. A wounded opponent at that, without Denes Varga, who collected a brutality foul today. However, this match was all about Serbia and its prowess around the pool. No matter who head coach Dejan Savic turns up with, he has a team of winners.
Croatia opened through Duje Zivkovic, but there the goals dried up and Serbia started its juggernaut charge to the final. Viktor Rasovic’s lob from the middle of the pool and close, gave Serbia a 4-1 lead at halftime. The margin moved out to six as Srdan Vuksanovic scored from the deep left across cage at 3:01. Kristijan Milakovic broke a 21-minute drought for Croatia when he scored on extra-man from the left-hand-catch position at 2:24 in the third period. Serbia controlled the final quarter and only let up — or Croatia finally broke through — when Zivkovic scored his second on extra and his third with 40 seconds left on the clock. It was not Croatia’s day and it was Serbia’s.
Match reports and photographs: Russel McKinnon.
Livestream of all matches available. Click here.
Sunday, 24 August - final round
11.10: South Africa (L17) vs. Montenegro (L18) - (7th/8th place)
12.30: Australia (W17) vs. Kazakhstan (W18) - (5th/6th place)
13.50: USA (L19) vs. Croatia (L20) - (3rd/4th place)
15.10: Hungary (W19) vs. Serbia (W20) - (1st/2nd place)
Day 4 22/08/14 1/4 finals
USA-Hungary and Croatia-Serbia semifinal pair-ups
| | | Friday 22 August 2014, 10:06 | | | Tim Hartog |
Hungary had the easier of the quarter-finals, downing South Africa 15-1 and heralded the return of captain Daniel Varga, back after two matches off through an allergic reaction. USA won through a penalty shootout against Australia 11-9 after earlier holding three-goal and two-goal advantages. Australia kept coming back and levelled at 7-7 with two minutes remaining to force the shootout. Australia struck out on both opening shots, while USA had one blocked before captain John Mann scored the winner on the fifth USA shot. 2014 FINA Men's World Cup
Almaty, Kazakhstan
19-24 August
Schedule and results
Friday, 22 August - quarter-final round
USA (2A) vs. Australia (3B) 11-9 (3-2, 1-2, 3-1, 0-2; penalties: 4-2) - game 13
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Merrill Moses, Ryder Roberts, Alex Obert, Michael Rosenthal, Luca Cupido (2), Conner Cleary, Josh Samuels (1), Bret Bonnani (2), Alex Bowen (4), Nolan McConnell, Jesse Smith, John Mann (2), McQuin Baron. Head Coach: Dejan Udovicic.
AUSTRALIA: James Clark, Richard Campbell (1), George Ford, John Cotterill (2), Nathan Power, Jarrod Gilchrist (1), Aidan Roach (1), Aaron Younger (1), Lachlan Edwards, Tyler Martin (2), Mitchell Emery, Blake Edwards (1), Edward Slade, James Stanton. Head Coach: Elvis Fatovic.
USA captain John Mann was the ultimate hero in a penalty-shootout victory over Australia. Bowen, Bonnani and Cupido scored their opening penalty shots while Australia started badly with normally safe shooters Aaron Younger (bar) and captain Richard Campbell (metre above crossbar) missing, leaving Aidan Roach and Tyler Martin to convert, forcing USA to the final shot, which Mann made no mistake about.
USA should have had no such problems, giving up a three-goal lead in the first quarter and a two-goal advantage at the end of three quarters. USA started with a surge and went three up through Bowen, centre –forward Mann and Cupido. Bowen’s shot came from nine metres out and Cupido also shot from the top while Mann’s was the easiest of turns at two metres. Australia scored twice on extra — through Aaron Younger and Richard Campbell — to close the period at 3-2 in USA’s favour. Bowen opened the second quarter when two Aussie Sharks were ejected. Blake Edwards made it 4-3 from the left side of the pool. John Cotterill drew the match level on extra, 13 seconds from halftime. Cotterill repeated the effort to give Australia the lead for the first time at 6:39 in the third period. Bret Bonnani, so forceful against Serbia on Thursday, and Bowen on extra had the match out to 6-5 for USA. Both teams used their timeouts to no effect and it was left to Josh Samuels to once again give USA a two-goal lead with a swift shot on extra, nine seconds from the final break.
Australia nullified the two-shot difference with Martin scoring his first for the tournament on extra and Jarrod Gilchrist accepted a deep cross pass from Younger to equalise at 2:10. Twice USA had an extra-man play in the final minute but had the first attempt thwarted on an intercepted cross pass and then with seconds ticking down, USA failed to take the shot before the buzzer, sending the match to a shootout.
Montenegro (3A) vs. Croatia (2B) 5-6 (2-1, 1-1, 0-3, 2-1) - game 14
MONTENEGRO: Dejan Lazovic, Marko Vukmirovic, Nikola Markovic, Stefan Vidovic, Darko Brguljan (2), Bogdan Durdic, Dorde Bulatovic (1), Jovan Saric (1), Radovan Latinovic, Nikola Murisic, Filip Klikovac, Uros Cuckovic (2), Slaven Kandic. Head Coach: Ranko Perovic.
CROATIA: Marko Bijac, Luka Bukic, Ivan Milakovic, Marino Divkovic, Ante Vukicevic, Ivan Buljubasic (1), Petar Muslim (3), Kristijan Milakovic, Ante Viskovic, Duje Zivkovic, Andelo Setka (1), Marko Macan (1), Ivan Marcelic. Head Coach: Ivica Tucak.
Montenegro may have led 2-0 in the first few minutes of the match, but Croatia ground out the one-goal victory and advancement to the semifinals. Montenegro could not breach Croatia’s defence enough and scoring the last two goals meant that in a 27-minute period, it only managed one goal, and that was a second to Uros Cuckovic at 2:29 in the second period, a score that took Montenegro 3-2 ahead. Both defences worked overtime and the goalkeepers were also excellent. Peter Muslim proved a differential that Montenegro could not replicate. He scored three goals — one a few seconds after the extra-man period had expired, which would have given Croatia a better statistic than the one-from-eight it achieved — and a screamer from the top, down the line to secure a 5-3 lead heading into the final quarter. Darko Brguljan sparked Montenegro’s revival at 2:40 in the last and Dorde Bulatovic followed up with a straight shot down the right a minute later. Croatia took a timeout at 0:39 and earned an exclusion, keeping the ball until the result was decided.
South Africa (4A) vs. Hungary (1B) 1-15 (0-3, 0-5, 0-4, 1-3) - game 16
SOUTH AFRICA: Dwayne Flatscher, Etienne Le Roux, Devon Card, Ignardus Badenhorst, Nicholas Rodda, Joao Marco De Carvalho, Lodewyk Rabie, Jared Wingate-Pearse, Dean Whyte, Pierre Le Roux (1), Christopher Baker, Nicholas Hock, Julian Lewis. Head Coach: Paul Martin.
HUNGARY: Attila Decker, Miklos Gor-Nagy (1), Norbert Madaras (3), Balazs Erdelyi (3), Bence Batori (3), Norbert Hosnyanszky, Adam Decker (1), Daniel Angyal, Daniel Varga (1), Denes Varga (1), Krisztian Bedo (2), Balazs Harai, Marton Levai. Head Coach: Tibor Benedek.
Hungary moved into the semifinals as expected against South Africa and honed some attacking skills for the weekend’s matches. South Africa was no match, but tried all the same and finally made the scoresheet when Pierre Le Roux sent in a bouncer that just missed a teammate’s head, curved off the water and hit the corner wood for 13-1 at 5:44 in the last quarter. Hungary was happy to have back captain Daniel Varga who suffered an allergic reaction to celery he had inadvertently eaten, according to brother Denes. He was sadly missed in the final-round match against Australia on Thursday when the clash was drawn at 8-8. Most of the team scored in the clash with South Africa and those not in the normal starting lineup gained valuable pool time before Saturday’s semifinal with United States of America. Hungary’s extra-man-attack skills were also evident.
Serbia (1A) vs. Kazakhstan (4B) 16-10 (6-2, 3-3, 4-3, 3-2) - game 15
SERBIA: Stefan Zivodinovic, Strahinja Rasovic (4), Dimitrije Obradovic (1), Dusan Markovic (1), Gavril Subotic (1), Nikola Eskert, Dusan Mandic (2), Viktor Rasovic (1), Sava Randelovic (2), Dusan Vasic, Srdan Vuksanovic (4), Dimitrije Risticevic. Head Coach: Dejan Savic.
KAZAKHSTAN: Makhmetov Madikhen, Sergey Gubarev (1), Yevgeniy Medvedev, Roman Pilipenko (2), Vladimir Ushakov (1), Alexey Shmider (4), Murat Shakenov (1), Anton Koliadenko, Rustam Ukumanov, Mikhail Ruday, Ravil Manafov, Branko Pekovich (1), Valeriy Shlemov. Head Coach: Sergey Drozdov.
Serbia did what was asked of head coach Dejan Savic against Kazakhstan in a match fronted by the largest crowd of the week, However, buoyed on by the crowd, Kazakhstan rose to the occasion and showed why it will be a strong contender for gold at next month’s Asian Games in Incheon, Korea. Behind 6-2 at the quarter, by halftime Kazakhstan had gained respect with a 3-3 period and Savic at times was cajoling his team into better things. That second period was a blip on Serbia’s radar. The third period was not that much better for Serbia as Kazakhstan maintained the pressure and almost went goal for goal. It could have been even if Vladimir Ushakov had converted a penalty attempt early in the third period when 9-6. Led by captain Dusan Mandic, Serbia slipped out to 11-6 with the aid of speedster Strahinja Rasovic, who is having a great week in Almaty. Alexey Schmider grabbed two goals either side of a Strahinja Rasovic counter-attack goal and the match was 13-8 at the final break. Serbia went to 15-8 before Branko Pekovich lobbed for 15-9. Srdan Vuksanovic countered, as did Sergey Gubarev, who finished the match with a push shot past the Serbian goalkeeper and a respectable 10 goals. Savic was unhappy with his charges and will be seeking better defence for the medal finals. Nemanda Ubovic was absent from the Serbian lineup having incurred a brutality foul for allegedly striking the head of an opponent in the third quarter of Thursday’s clash with United States of America.
Match reports and photographs: Russel McKinnon.
Livestream of all matches available. Click here.
Saturday, 23 August - semi-final round
13.40: Australia (L13) vs. South Africa (L16) - game 17
15.00: Montenegro (L14) vs. Kazakhstan (L15) - game 18
Semi-finals
16.20: USA (W13) vs. Hungary (W16) - game 19
17.40: Croatia (W14) vs. Serbia (W15) - game 20
Sunday, 24 August - final round
11.10: L17 vs. L18 - (7th/8th place)
12.30: W17 vs. W18 - (5th/6th place)
13.50: L19 vs. L20 - (3rd/4th place)
15.10: W19 vs. W20 - (1st/2nd place)
Day 3 21/08/14
Serbia and Hungary win groups after late scares
| | | Thursday 21 August 2014, 10:17 | | | Tim Hartog |
Almaty, Kazakhstan
19-24 August
Schedule and results
Thursday, 21 August
Montenegro vs. South Africa 12-4 (3-0, 5-2, 3-1, 1-1)
MONTENEGRO: Dejan Lazovic, Marko Vukmirovic, Nikola Markovic, Stefan Vidovic (1), Darko Brguljan, Bogdan Durdic (1), Dorde Bulatovic, Jovan Saric (4), Radovan Latinovic (1), Nikola Murisic (4), Filip Klikovac, Uros Cuckovic (1), Slaven Kandic. Head Coach: Ranko Perovic.
SOUTH AFRICA: Dwayne Flatscher, Etienne Le Roux (2), Devon Card (1), Ignardus Badenhorst (1), Nicholas Rodda, Joao Marco De Carvalho, Lodewyk Rabie, Jared Wingate-Pearse, Dean Whyte, Pierre Le Roux, Christopher Baker, Nicholas Hock, Julian Lewis. Head Coach: Paul Martin.
Montenegro collected its first win of the week and South Africa is yet to taste victory. Montenegro finishes third in the group and South Africa fourth in preparation for Friday’s quarter-finals. While South Africa was sometimes indecisive on finishing, Montenegro was dangerous on extra-man attack and Nikola Murisic and Jovan Saric scored six of the seven goals that had Montenegro ahead 7-0 by the latter stages of the second quarter. South Africa had the better of the last three minutes with Ignardus Badenhorst converting an extra-man play off the first catch and Etienne Le Roux scoring on extra from the top to close the half at 8-2. Etienne Le Roux did it again on the first attack of the third period, but Montenegro was back on track with three more goals, including a fourth to Murisic, going into the final quarter 11-3. Devon Card received reward foir his hard work at two metres for 11-4 at 1:16, the first score of the period. Saric netted his fourth with two seconds remaining from the deep left to close the match at 12-4.
Australia vs. Hungary 11-8 (2-2, 3-3, 3-1, 0-2)
AUSTRALIA: James Clark, Richard Campbell (2), George Ford, John Cotterill (1), Nathan Power, Jarrod Gilchrist, Aidan Roach (1), Aaron Younger (3), Lachlan Edwards, Tyler Martin, Mitchell Emery, Blake Edwards (1), Edward Slade, James Stanton. Head Coach: Elvis Fatovic.
HUNGARY: Attila Decker, Miklos Gor-Nagy, Norbert Madaras (3), Balazs Erdelyi (1), Bence Batori (1), Norbert Hosnyanszky (1), Adam Decker, Daniel Angyal (1), Denes Varga (1), Krisztian Bedo, Balazs Harai, Marton Levai. Head Coach: Tibor Benedek.
Australia nearly scored the upset of the tournament when it was two goals up on Olympic and world champion Hungary heading into the final quarter, only to emerge with an 8-8 draw. Norbert Madaras was the go-to man at the clutch, scoring the equaliser at 0:31 when no-one else seemed to want to take the shot. Australia’s defence was good all match, but its attack was patchy and for once, the extra-man count favoured the Aussie Sharks. Hungary struggled in that department, scoring just two from 10 while Australia converted two from seven. However, Madaras scored the one that mattered and the Sharks were kept scoreless in the final period. Australia worked hard on defence and three players gained the maximum three major fouls, including three-goal hero Aaron Younger crucially at 5:35 in the final quarter. The thrill for Australia was to level both opening quarters, take a 6-5 lead before Hungary struck back in the third. However, Australia scored twice more — through Younger and skipper Richard Campbell — and the unthinkable was on the cards. Daniel Angyal repaired some of the damage on the first attack of the fourth period on a cross pass along the two-metre line to the far post. Australia wasted some excellent shooting chances by losing the ball and the extra-man attack by Hungary looked inevitable. Madaras touched the ball twice before scoring the equaliser. Hungary will be disappointed with the result and the manner achieved, but has to be happy to top the group with five points.
Serbia vs. USA 11-9 (2-0, 1-4, 3-1, 5-4)
SERBIA: Stefan Zivodinovic, Strahinja Rasovic (1), Dimitrije Obradovic, Dusan Markovic, Gavril Subotic (3), Nikola Eskert (1), Dusan Mandic (1), Viktor Rasovic (3), Sava Randelovic (1), Nemanda Ubovic, Dusan Vasic, Srdan Vuksanovic (1), Dimitrije Risticevic. Head Coach: Dejan Savic.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Merrill Moses, Ryder Roberts, Alex Obert, Michael Rosenthal (1), Luca Cupido (1), Conner Cleary, Josh Samuels, Bret Bonnani (5), Alex Bowen, Nolan McConnell, Jesse Smith (1), John Mann (1), McQuin Baron. Head Coach: Dejan Udovicic.
Serbia had to work hard to repel the North American onslaught, thanks to a Gavril Subotic triple inside the final two minutes. It was 8-8 with 2:24 left on the clock and then Subotic let strip with three goals from acute angles, upsetting USA who deserved at least a draw. USA took time to settle as Serbia won the first period and went 3-1 up in the second before USA levelled at 3-3 when Beijing and London Olympian Jesse Smith accepted a cross pass on two metres to score. USA clinched the lead with 11 seconds left thanks to Bret Bonnani, who scored the second of his five goals. Serbia turned that around to a 7-5 advantage by early in the fourth period as Strahinja Rasovic, Dusan Mandic and Viktor Rasovic struck. Bonnani hit back twice to level. Srdan Vuksanovic and Michael Rosenthal traded goals for 8-8 and then the Subotic show began and Serbia had three matches straight and the group victory.
Kazakhstan vs. Croatia 7-14 (0-3, 3-2, 1-6, 3-3)
KAZAKHSTAN: Makhmetov Madikhen, Sergey Gubarev (1), Yevgeniy Medvedev, Roman Pilipenko (1), Vladimir Ushakov (3), Alexey Shmider, Murat Shakenov (1), Anton Koliadenko, Rustam Ukumanov (1), Mikhail Ruday, Ravil Manafov, Branko Pekovich, Valeriy Shlemov. Head Coach: Sergey Drozdov.
CROATIA: Marko Bijac, Luka Bukic (2), Ivan Milakovic, Marino Divkovic (1), Ante Vukicevic, Ivan Buljubasic (1), Petar Muslim (3), Kristijan Milakovic, Ante Viskovic (2), Duje Zivkovic (2), Andelo Setka (3), Marko Macan, Ivan Marcelic. Head Coach: Ivica Tucak.
Croatia gained he win it needed for second in the group and a clash with Montenegro in Friday’s quarter-finals. Croatia warmed up for the quarterfinals with a strong opening period, but then lapsed as Kazakhstan won the next. Just to make sure it had the goods for the next day, Croatia piled in goal after goal in the third period as Andelo Setka raised the standard with three goals to reach the final break at a respectable 11-4. This stretched to 13-4. The huge crowd was then treated to a three-goal haul by Kazakhstan with Vladimir Ushakov scoring twice — firstly from a penalty and then on counter — and then Sergey Gubarev added his counter-attack effort for 13-7 with 1:25 left on the clock. The run ended there as Duje Zivkovic converted extra-man attack from the deep right for what was the final score.
Final points
Group A: SRB 6, USA 4, MNE 2, RSA 0.
Group B: HUN 5, CRO 4, AUS 3, KAZ 0.
Match reports and photographs: Russel McKinnon.
Friday, 22 August - quarter-final round
13.40: USA (2A) vs. Australia (3B) - game 13
15.00: Montenegro (3A) vs. Croatia (2B) - game 14
16.20: South Africa (4A) vs. Hungary (1B) - game 16
17.40: Serbia (1A) vs. Kazakhstan (4B) - game 15
Day 2 20/08/14
USA ready for Serbia to decide group supremacy
| | | Wednesday 20 August 2014, 10:07 | | | Tim Hartog |
United States of America sparkled on the second day of the FINA Men’s Water Polo World Cup at the Central Swimming Pool in Almaty today. USA is starting to get a little tradition in beating Montenegro in recent years at the major tournaments and continued that today with a lead-from-the-front 11-7 victory. Ably led by captain John Mann, USA never looked in doubt. Serbia raced through South Africa 17-1 in the other Group A encounter and the big confrontation will take place on Thursday between USA and Serbia for the group supremacy. In Group B, Croatia shifted up a gear in the second half against Australia to win 6-3. The match was tied at an incredibly low 1-1 by the long break and Croatia needed at 3-1 third period to extract itself from the bite of the Aussie Sharks. In the final match of the day, host nation Kazakhstan took the game to Olympic and world champion Hungary before bowing 15-9. Rustam Ukumanov was the hero for the locals with three matches.2014 FINA Men's World Cup
Almaty, Kazakhstan
19-24 August
Schedule and results
Wednesday, 20 August
South Africa vs. Serbia 1-17 (0-4, 1-2, 0-5, 0-6)
SOUTH AFRICA: Dwayne Flatscher, Etienne Le Roux, Devon Card (1), Ignardus Badenhorst, Nicholas Rodda, Joao Marco De Carvalho, Lodewyk Rabie, Jared Wingate-Pearse, Dean Whyte, Pierre Le Roux, Christopher Baker, Nicholas Hock, Julian Lewis. Head Coach: Paul Martin.
SERBIA: Stefan Zivodinovic, Strahinja Rasovic (3), Dimitrije Obradovic (1), Dusan Markovic, Gavril Subotic (4), Nikola Eskert, Dusan Mandic (2), Viktor Rasovic (2), Sava Randelovic (1), Nemanda Ubovic, Dusan Vasic (3), Srdan Vuksanovic (1), Dimitrije Risticevic. Head Coach: Dejan Savic.
Serbia gained he required points against South Africa in what was not a fast-paced match. However, it was about moving the ball around and finding the gaps for Serbia. Gavril Subotic top-scored with four goals. For South Africa it was a tough ask and a good lesson in defence. South Africa managed to get shots away, but invariably they were at the goalkeeper on wide Devon Card was impressive at centre forward and an early backhand shot would have beaten the goalkeeper if it had not gone wide. He repeated he effort in the second quarter, this time successfully for 6-1 just before halftime. Twice more in the second half he turned his opponent only to be thwarted by the goalkeeper. The Rasovic brothers, Strahinja and Viktor, enjoyed the outing with the older Strahinja netting three and Viktor two. Pierre Le Roux rued missing a point-blank shot in the third period after evading two Serbians and jumping on a rebound. Captain Dusan Mandic fired off consecutive goals early in the third period, both from his favoured top-right position. The first shot seemed to explode from his hand. Serbian goalkeeper Dimitrije Risticevic blocked a Pierre Le Roux penalty attempt when 12-1 in the fourth.
Montenegro vs. USA 7-11 (0-3, 4-3, 0-3, 3-2)
MONTENEGRO: Dejan Lazovic, Marko Vukmirovic, Nikola Markovic, Stefan Vidovic, Darko Brguljan (2), Bogdan Durdic (2), Dorde Bulatovic, Jovan Saric, Radovan Latinovic, Nikola Murisic (1), Filip Klikovac, Uros Cuckovic (2), Slaven Kandic. Head Coach: Ranko Perovic.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Merrill Moses, Ryder Roberts, Alex Obert (2), Michael Rosenthal (1), Luca Cupido (1), Conner Cleary, Josh Samuels (1), Bret Bonnani (2), Alex Bowen (1), Nolan McConnell (1), Jesse Smith, John Mann (2), McQuin Baron. Head Coach: Dejan Udovicic.
United States of America defeated Montenegro and did it in emphatic fashion. The same happened at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2013 FINA World League Super Final, so it is not a rare achievement. The Serbian influence of head coach Dejan Udovicic is having effect on what is a relatively new team that he has been building in recent years. The forcefulness of the USA was evident from the start and the fact that USA kept Montenegro scoreless in the opening and then the third period, was telling. Montenegro needed a good second quarter to twice come within one goal. However, by the last minute of the half, captain John Mann hammered in the first two centre-forward goals. Alex Bowen stretched the margin to three on penalty at the start of the third quarter. Jovan Saric had his penalty attempt blocked by Merill Moses and Alex Obert and Mann made it 9-4 with the three-quarter buzzer beckoning. Uros Cuckovic broke an 11-minute drought for Montenegro with a long, low shot at 6:15 in the fourth period. USA scored on extra through Bret Bonnani from deep left at 4:17 and at 10-5, the match was well and truly won. Moses was staunch in goal and the defensive arms of USA also played a huge part in the victory. Just to make sure, Obert rifled in a shot from the right-hand-catch position, but Montenegro snatched one back on penalty by Bogdan Durdic at 2:06 and 11-6. He scored a second again at 0-25 when he shunted in a rebound for a final score of 11-7.
Croatia vs. Australia 6-3 (1-0, 0-1, 3-1, 1-1)
CROATIA: Marko Bijac, Luka Bukic (1), Ivan Milakovic, Marino Divkovic, Ante Vukicevic (1), Ivan Buljubasic, Petar Muslim, Kristijan Milakovic (1), Ante Viskovic (1), Duje Zivkovic, Andelo Setka (2), Marko Macan, Ivan Marcelic. Head Coach: Ivica Tucak.
AUSTRALIA: James Clark, Richard Campbell (1), George Ford, John Cotterill, Nathan Power, Jarrod Gilchrist, Aidan Roach (2), Aaron Younger, Lachlan Edwards, Tyler Martin, Mitchell Emery, Blake Edwards, Edward Slade, James Stanton. Head Coach: Elvis Fatovic.
Croatia emerged the victor in a match that could have gone either way until midway through the third period. Croatia had a match on its hands and it was experience of a fighting nation that came through and put paid to the southern assault. Australia just could not put away the extra-man attack, securing only 1 from 12 attempts. Too often other shots were also lacking in thrust. Croatia bided its time and Luca Bukic opened the scoring at 1:36, one second after the extra-man exclusion had expired. Aussie Sharks captain Richard Campbell equalised on penalty at the top of the second quarter — the only score of the period. Ante Viskovic and Aidan Roach traded goals after two minutes of the third quarter. Then Andelo Setka caused havoc with two conversions of extra, four minutes apart for a two-goal margin Roach pulled one back to start the final period, but it was Kristijan Milakovic after the extra-man time and Ante Vukicevic from a five-metre free throw by 1:44 extinguished any chance Australia had of at least a draw.
Kazakhstan vs. Hungary 9-15 (2-3, 2-4, 2-4, 3-4)
KAZAKHSTAN: Makhmetov Madikhen, Sergey Gubarev (2), Yevgeniy Medvedev, Roman Pilipenko (1), Vladimir Ushakov, Alexey Shmider, Murat Shakenov (1), Anton Koliadenko, Rustam Ukumanov (3), Mikhail Ruday, Ravil Manafov, Branko Pekovich (2), Valeriy Shlemov. Head Coach: Sergey Drozdov.
HUNGARY: Attila Decker, Miklos Gor-Nagy, Norbert Madaras (3), Balazs Erdelyi (1), Bence Batori (1), Norbert Hosnyanszky (2), Adam Decker, Daniel Angyal (1), Denes Varga (4), Krisztian Bedo, Balazs Harai (3), Marton Levai. Head Coach: Tibor Benedek.
Kazakhstan is proving a powerful host, capable of matching it with the best in the world. Such is the team’s experience and power shooting, it has pressed its opponents on both nights of the tournament so far. However, against the might of Olympic and world champion Hungary, the summit was too hard to climb. Throw in the obvious talents of Denes Varga, Norbert Madaras and Norbert Hosnyanszky and Hungary could prove almost unstoppable in Almaty. The trio scored the majority of the Hungarian goals. Hungarian captain Daniel Varga did not play, because of an allergic reaction. Kazakhstan opened the scoring through Branko Pekovich, which pleased the packed stands. Hungary went to 3-1 and it was Pekovich who brought the match level at 3-3 early in the second quarter with a shot from the top. Hungary shot out to a 7-3 margin and Kazakhstan played catch-up with Rustam Ukumanov grabbing two goals either side of a Hosnyanszky rocket from the top for 8-5. Balasz Harai and Murat Shakenov traded goals for 9-6 . However, Denes Varga scored the last two goals of the period to go with his pair from the first period and Hungary was safely at 11-6 heading into the final quarter. Hungary moved on to 14-7 — with Ukumanov nailing his third for Kazakhstan — but the spectators refused to leave their seats. Just as well as Sergey Gubarev scored twice in 36 seconds with a strike from deep and a counter-attack effort for 14-9 at 1:43. Hungary took a timeout and the ploy brought up a goal to Daniel Angyal for the final score of 15-9.
Match reports and photographs: Russel McKinnon.Points after day two
Group A: USA 4, SRB 4, MNE 0, RSA 0.
Group B: HUN 4, CRO 2, AUS 2, KAZ 0.
Thursday, 21 August
13.40: Montenegro vs. South Africa
15.00: Australia vs. Hungary
16.20: Serbia vs. USA
17.40: Kazakhstan vs. Croatia
*****
Day 1 19/08/14
Serbia and Hungary open World Cup in style
| | | Tuesday 19 August 2014, 09:20 | | | Tim Hartog |
Serbia and Hungary were strong winners on the opening day of the FINA Men’s Water Polo World Cup at the Central Swimming Pool in Almaty today. Serbia had the better of Montenegro 9-3 while Hungary kept Croatia at bay, winning 9-5 in their respective groups. United States of America sent off South Africa 19-1 while in the feature match of the early evening following the opening ceremony, Australia beat Kazakhstan 11-8 in an exciting finale to the day.
2014 FINA Men's World Cup
Almaty, Kazakhstan
19-24 August
Schedule and results
Tuesday, 19 August
Montenegro vs. Serbia 3-9 (0-4, 1-1, 1-2, 1-2)
MONTENEGRO: Dejan Lazovic, Marko Vukmirovic, Nikola Markovic, Stefan Vidovic, Darko Brguljan (1), Bogdan Durdic, Dorde Bulatovic, Jovan Saric (1), Radovan Latinovic (1), Nikola Murisic, Filip Klikovac, Uros Cuckovic, Slaven Kandic. Head Coach: Ranko Perovic.
SERBIA: Stefan Zivodinovic, Strahinja Rasovic (1), Dimitrije Obradovic (1), Dusan Markovic, Gavril Subotic, Nikola Eskert (3), Dusan Mandic (2), Viktor Rasovic, Sava Randelovic (1), Nemanja Ubovic (1), Dusan Vasic, Srdan Vuksanovic (1), Dimitrije Risticevic. Head Coach: Dejan Savic.
Serbia did the expected and beat Montenegro. Both teams have arrived in Almaty with line-ups unrecognizable from the FINA World League Super Final in Dubai in June. With the Europeans the major focus, this tournament is seen as a chance to give lesser lights a chance at the big time. The match lacked a heightened sense of urgency that could be expected with players at their peak and Serbia took advantage early with a five-goal streak before Montenegro opened its scoring at 5:11 in the second quarter through Radovan Latinovic. At the start of the third period Nikola Eskert, who played for Florence last year and will play for Red Star this coming season, scored his third goal off the near post on extra-man attack. Darko Brguljan had a chance to double Montenegro’s score, but his penalty attempt was blocked by Stefan Zivodinovic. Sava Randelovic pushed Serbia out to 7-1 before Jovan Saric netted twice — either side of the final break — for 7-3. Serbia closed out the match through captain Dusan Mandic, for his second, and Srdan Vuksanovic with a booming shot from the top right. It was a case of Serbia finishing better in a match where both goalkeepers made multiple saves and both defences proved more potent than the accuracy of the shooting. Montenegro’s work on extra-man will need attention before heading further into the week.
Croatia vs. Hungary 5-9 (2-3, 1-3, 1-1, 1-2)
CROATIA: Marko Bijac, Luka Bukic, Ivan Milakovic, Marino Divkovic, Ante Vukicevic, Ivan Buljubasic, Petar Muslim (1), Kristijan Milakovic (1), Ante Viskovic, Duje Zivkovic (1), Andelo Setka (2), Marko Macan, Ivan Marcelic. Head Coach: Ivica Tucak.
HUNGARY: Attila Decker, Miklos Gor-Nagy (1), Norbert Madaras (1), Balazs Erdelyi, Bence Batori, Norbert Hosnyanszky (1), Adam Decker (1), Daniel Angyal, Daniel Varga (1), Denes Varga (1), Krisztian Bedo (1), Balazs Harai (2), Marton Levai. Head Coach: Tibor Benedek.
Hungary had more composure than Croatia and came away with an encouraging victory. With a team fairly settled this year, Hungary maintained its form, especially on extra-man attack. The first period was interesting insofar that it was close, Hungary going two up and Croatia responding with a pair. Daniel Varga converted extra-man attack for the go-ahead goal just inside the final minute. Duje Zivkovic levelled a minute into the second quarter, but there the match slipped away from Croatia, another team with big changes from FINA World League and European championships. Old-stages Norbert Madaras, Norbert Hosnyanszky and Balasz Harai took the match to 6-3 at halftime. Croatian head coach Ivica Tucak gained a yellow card in frustration early in the third period, a period in which only Denes Varga — from the outskirts of the city — and Kristijan Milakovic (CRO) on extra, could score. Andelo Setka repeated his effort of the first quarter from deep left for 7-5 early in the fourth and Croatia was in with a chance. However, Krisztian Bedo saw his extra-man shot bounce off wood and then the goalkeeper’s head into goal. Miklos Gor-Nagy scored the final goal on extra for 9-5.
South Africa vs. USA 1-19 (0-4, 0-6, 0-4, 1-5)
SOUTH AFRICA: Dwayne Flatscher, Etienne Le Roux, Devon Card, Ignardus Badenhorst, Nicholas Rodda, Joao Marco De Carvalho, Lodewyk Rabie, Jared Wingate-Pearse, Dean Whyte, Pierre Le Roux, Christopher Baker, Nicholas Hock, Julian Lewis. Head Coach: Paul Martin.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Merrill Moses, Ryder Roberts (1), Alex Obert (3), Michael Rosenthal (1), Luca Cupido, Conner Cleary, Josh Samuels (2), Bret Bonnani (4), Alex Bowen (3), Nolan McConnell, Jesse Smith (2), John Mann (3), McQuin Baron. Head Coach: Dejan Udovicic.
United States of America used extra-man attacks to excellent effect, working hard for the kick-outs and then converting — a staggering eight from 12. South Africa struggled to get decent ball to the centre forwards and when it did arrive, the shots came under too much pressure to have any real effect. Bret Bonnani (four goals) and Alex Bowen (3) were clean finishers and John Mann, the London Olympian who has grown in stature and taken the leadership role in the USA group, was dominant at two metres. His score early in the final quarter showed his class as he moved across the goal, accepted the pass and shot at will. He repeated he dose on extra 90 seconds later. Normally he was feeding people and his first-quarter goal came like a rocket from out the top. It was also pleasing to see Olympian Jesse Smith back in the action after a long international lay-off. He showed he still has the scoring touch on counter attack. South Africa’s lack of match fitness showed late in the match, not having competed internationally since the Commonwealth Championships in Aberdeen in April. South Africa’s lone goal came from the experienced Etienne Le Roux on penalty at 0:37 of the final quarter.
Kazakhstan vs. Australia 8-11 (1-3, 2-1, 4-4, 1-3)
KAZAKHSTAN: Makhmetov Madikhen, Sergey Gubarev, Yevgeniy Medvedev, Roman Pilipenko (1), Vladimir Ushakov (3), Alexey Shmider, Murat Shakenov, Anton Koliadenko, Rustam Ukumanov (2), Mikhail Ruday, Ravil Manafov, Branko Pekovich (2), Valeriy Shlemov. Head Coach: Sergey Drozdov.
AUSTRALIA: James Clark, Richard Campbell (3), George Ford (1), John Cotterill, Nathan Power, Jarrod Gilchrist (1), Aidan Roach (1), Aaron Younger (4), Lachlan Edwards (1), Tyler Martin, Mitchell Emery, Blake Edwards, Edward Slade, James Stanton. Head Coach: Elvis Fatovic.
Seven goals from power shooters Aaron Younger (4) and captain Richard Campbell (3) proved the defining factor in the Aussie Sharks’ victory over the host nation. Kazakhstan was well served by dynamo Rustam Ukmanov and the deep-winged wonder Vladimir Ushakov. While these players stirred up the match, it was best described as lost opportunities by both teams. Australia had the better of the opening quarter with Campbell and George Ford sending in rockets and Aidan Roach steaming in down the right for an aggressive shot. It was left to Branko Pekovich to respond on extra off a near-post shot from point blank. Campbell sent in a “doughnut” over the goalkeeper’s head to open the second quarter. Rustam Ukumanov with a penalty and then Pekovich brought it back to 4-3 by halftime. Two quick goals from Australia took the margin to three, thanks to a turning centre-forward score from Lachlan Edwards and one from Aaron Younger off a cross pass. The pool was lit up for the large crowd and the dignitaries when Ushakov on the left and then Ukumanov on counter had the margin down to one. Younger lobbed from the left post and Ushakov repaired the damage with a swift rejoinder off a cross pass to the dep left. Australia was unhappy with the situation and went to a timeout, then earned an exclusion and Jarrod Gilchrist accepted a short pass, turned and scored for 8-6. Roman Pilipenko scored at the end of extra-man possession just nine seconds from the last break for 8-7. Ushakov levelled the match at 8-8 with another snappy shot off the right hand at 7:08 in the fourth period. Younger netted his third of the half with a 5m shot and then 48 seconds later his fourth with a smashing shot from deep left for 10-8.
Points after day one
Group A: USA 2, SRB 2, MNE 0, RSA 0.
Group B: HUN 2, AUS 2, CRO 0, KAZ 0.
Match reports and photographs: Russel McKinnon.
Wednesday, 20 August
13.40: Croatia vs. Australia
15.00: Montenegro vs. USA
16.20: South Africa vs. Serbia
17.40: Kazakhstan vs. Hungary
Thursday, 21 August
13.40: Montenegro vs. South Africa
15.00: Australia vs. Hungary
16.20: Serbia vs. USA
17.40: Kazakhstan vs. Croatia
*****
New-look rosters mark men's World Cup
| | | Monday 18 August 2014, 08:01 | | | Tim Hartog |
Reigning champions Serbia hold just two players who became Europe's best three weeks ago in youngsters Dusan Mandic and Sava Randjelovic while the Montenegrin roster includes just three players who are coming off a 4th place finish in the Hungarian capital with Darko Brguljan, centre-back Uros Cuckovic and centre-forward Filip Klikovac. They will have to carry a team of young guns who are eager to show they're legitimate senior team members and just could convince head coach Ranko Perovic for the years to come. For both Nikola Murisic and Jovan Saric, it means a return to the roster they were on for the World League Super Final in Dubai.
The Serbian team for the 2014 FINA World Cup.
The same goes in the Croatian squad, although to a lesser extend. Names such as Kristijan Milakovic, Marino Divkovic, Marko Macan and Ante Vukicevic however are up for their first major tournament of the summer after missing out on making it to the final roster for the recent Europeans. With finishing 5th in Budapest the Croatian team is sure of playing next year's World Championships so head coach Ivica Tucak can have a decent look at some of the names who have been close to the senior team or have simply impressed during training camps or the club season to keep the national side competitive in the future. And as runner-up in 2010 in Oradea, Croatia has a nice silver medal to defend in Almaty.
Hungary head coach Tibor Benedek also made the necassary changes in his roster to rest some of the players after a tough and pressured 2014 Europeans campaign now selecting Daniel Angyal, Bence Batori, Krisztian Bedo and goalie Marton Levai who all just missed out Budapest 2014 action but with Batori and Bedo still hold two players who were part of the team that became world champions in Barcelona last year. The core of the team has remained intact so that the Hungarians can be considered title-contenders. But it will be interesting to see what the state of the team will be after the busy summer so far and the dissapointment in the final of the European Championships in front of the home crowd.
Personnel-wise, a different story applies for Australia, one of the medal contenders from outside Europe this tournament. The World Cup served as headline for their international campaign and through an extended preparation in Dubrovnik, Croatia and Herceg Novi, Montenegro the Elvis Fatovic coached side is ready for a top result in Almaty. The Aussie Sharks roster contains two names that earn their spot after strong showings in the Australia National League as well as in the pre World Cup training camps with goalie James Stanton and Blake Edwards, joined by multiple players who earned a nice 4th place at the earlier World League Super Final in Dubai mid June. The team will be looking to confirm their continues growth after a nice showing at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona and this year's World League Super Final. This week a tough group will await the Sharks as they are joined in group B by Croatia, Hungary and hosts Kazakhstan. A good finish in the group stage will be key for later success as it will likely get you a relatively easier quarter-final round crossing match-up.
The Aussie Sharks team ahead of their opening match of the 2014 FINA World Cup.
Photograph: Aussie Sharks WP Twitter.
Another dangerous non-European contender is USA who will be present with a significantly more experienced side than in Dubai for the World League Super Final earlies this year. Head coach Dejan Udovicic has called up two more players with olympic Games experience who will be making their return in the national team as goalie Merrill Moses and centre-back Jesse Smith are on the roster. Another striking name in the American squad is Luca Cupido. The Italian-born, one of the heroes for the national youth team scoring four goals in the gold medal final of the 2012 World Youth Championships, has decided to move to the States being a dual citizen, took Newport Harbor High by storm and now is already selected by Udovicic to gain senior team experience. And with centre-forward John Mann, high scorer Alex Bowen and both Josh Samuels and Michael Rosenthal who gained valuable experience in Montenegro and Serbia, the young side could be up for a nice result and likely 2015 World Championships qualification.
For both Kazakhstan and South Africa the tournament will mainly serve as an experience-booster for the future. Both sides are lacking competitive tournaments during the year and will now be able to compete agains the world best squads. The teams last year were present at the World Championships in Barcelona where the Kazakh side took 12th place while South Africa succeeded in avoiding being the last ranked downing New Zealand to finish 15th.
2014 FINA Men's World Cup
Almaty, Kazakhstan
19-24 August
Group A: South Africa, Montenegro, Serbia, USA
Group B: Croatia, Kazakhstan, Australia, Hungary.
Schedule
Tuesday, 19 August
13.00: Montenegro vs. Serbia
14.20: Croatia vs. Hungary
15.40: South Africa vs. USA
17.40: Kazakhstan vs. Australia
Wednesday, 20 August
13.40: Croatia vs. Australia
15.00: Montenegro vs. USA
16.20: South Africa vs. Serbia
17.40: Kazakhstan vs. Hungary
*****
Referee with the Team FINA Men's
Water Polo World Cup 2014 - Almaty (KAZ)
Gabor VOGEL (HUN)
Dejan ADZIC (MNE)
Nenad PERIS (CRO)
Viktor SALNICHENKO (KAZ)
Mark MARETZKI (USA)
Ian MELLIAR (RSA)
Daniel FLAHIVE (AUS)
Mihajlo CIRIC (SRB)
Neutral Referees FINA Men's Water Polo
World Cup 2014 Almaty (KAZ)
REZVANI Masoud (IRI)
STAVRIDIS Georgios (GRE)
TERPENKA Doriel (CAN)
ZHANG Liang (CHN)
http://www.fina.org/H2O/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4165&Itemid=1550
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