The heavens opened first, then the Serbs went up
Serbia returned to the throne after winning an incredible final against arch-rival Croatia at the FINA Men’s Water Polo World League Super Final in Belgrade. The match itself produced an outstanding battle which could have gone either way but Filip Filipovic’s penalty 17 seconds from time secured the home side’s triumph as well as a spot at the 2020 Olympics. The torrential rain hitting the venue did not disturb the party, the players did their best in the fourth period and all 3,000 fans soaked to skin but stayed on the stands to push the Serbs and celebrate another victory of the Dolphins. Australia landed the bronze after edging out Spain in a game which saw the first-ever goal by a goalkeeper from the attacking half. Earlier the first goals were called after video reviews.
The reigning Olympic champion against the reigning World champion – in stake was the World League crown, 100.000 US dollars but most importantly the prestige and the first bookable spot for Tokyo. It goes without saying that the Tasmajdan Pool was fully packed, though the first ten minutes buried the venue into silence as the Croats took a flying start and led 1-4. The Serbs found their game soon and they showed something from their very best which was simply devastating, a 5-0 run in 5:24 minutes. Before the world champs got lost completely, Ante Vukicevic pulled one back for 6-5 and they managed to regroup themselves during the middle break.
Dusan Mandic netted four goals, one of them was a sheer beauty, he was one of the keys for the Serbian success - Credits: Istvan Derencsenyi
Thus the third period brought a spectacular twist, a counter-attack goal from Vukicevic, then a fine extra-player goal from Loren Fatovic while the Serbs were struggling to recall their big form from the second period. The drought lasted 6:42 minutes before the equaliser came but a fine distant shot put the Croats 7-8 ahead before the final period.
When it kicked off, the heavens opened and a huge rain hit the venue. With no lightning, the game could go on and Croatia took the lead twice but the Serbs could level the score a both occasions. Then at 10-10 came the first missed man-up from the Croats and the hosts responded with an action goal from Filipovic so the Serbs led again. The sides played so committed and on such a high level that no official gave a thought to halt the match even amidst the heaviest downpour. The Croats kept their nerves, earned a 6 on 5 and Vukicevic scored his 5th goal to equalise once more 46 seconds from time but the last twist was yet to come. A penalty 17 seconds from time, it had to be called, not even the Croats disputed that much. Filipovic stepped up and made no mistake from the 5m line. Since the their rivals couldn’t create a shooting chance in the remaining time, both the team and its fans began to fly and rose to the seventh heaven.
Not singing but celebrating in the rain: Filipovic&Co. was at its best once more
This was Serbia’s 10th title in this competition, so they will arrive to the World Championships in Gwangju with their Olympic tickets already being secured. The victory ceremony was moved to the indoor pool where Filip Filipovic received the MVP award, Croatia’s Marko Bijac could pose with the best goalie trophy while Japan’s Inaba Yusuke finished at the top scorer (with 26 goals). It was a bit special that the Serbian anthem was played through the outside venue’s PA system but that didn’t disturb the home players to sing it together with Sport Minister Vanja Udovicic who handed over their gold medals in a fully wet white shirt as – just as the 3,000 fans – he had stayed on the stands to cheer for his former team-mates.
The winners took it all: the golds, the money and the trophy
Even before the final started history had been made in the Tasmajdan pool at the FINA Men's Water Polo World League Super Final in Belgrade. In the morning session the first goals were called after video reviews while in the afternoon Spanish goalkeeper Dani Lopez became the first keeper in red cap who joined his team's attack and scored. It was too late, though, as Australia kept the ball in the remaining 24 seconds to claim the bronze medal.
The battle for the bronze was a balanced encounter which saw Australia taking and keeping control a bit surprisingly. The Aussies took a 7-4 lead in the third and even though the Spaniards climbed back and managed to equalise in the middle of the last period at 9-9, the Aussies could respond well, netted two for 11-9 and managed to win the game. Spain tried a 7 on 6 at the end, obviously the Aussies let goalie Dani Lopez make a try and the keeper sent the ball to the net much to the delight of the gathering crowd, still, the remaining 24 seconds were not enough for the Spanish to do a miracle and Australia managed to medal at one more FINA major event after their silver at last year's World Cup in Berlin.
It was a painful defeat for the Spaniards... - Credits: Istvan Derencsenyi
The morning session was quite entertaining, perhaps not for the coaches as the defences struggled to prevent the flood of goals in the games for the lower ranks. In the first match Canada was leading all the way but the Kazakhs came back from time to time and they managed to claim the 7th place in the penalty shootout.
After the Kazakh goalie was sent out because of constant violation of the line-rule in the shootout, Stanislav Shvedov stepped in but he couldn't make a save, still, they prevailed at the end
Hungary played with patience once more against Japan – as in the prelims when they had already beat them – and that bore its fruits as building on the strength of their big centre-forwards they could build a three-goal lead by the end of the third. Though at one point Japan had a man-up for 9-8 (from 9-5) but they missed it and the Magyars netted a goal to go 10-7 up. Then with a 4-0 rush in 2:37 minutes they decided the outcome in the fourth – still, the Japanese fought till the end and managed to score six goals to narrow the gap to two, though they never had a real chance to go even.
Krisztian Bedo's power was too much for the Japanese, the MVP of the game scores his third here
This match saw another historical milestone as Japan was awarded a goal after a video review – the first ever of this kind at a major FINA event. In the fourth it was even more spectacular as the review happened after Japan netted a goal, which was finally revoked and the Hungarian shot in the previous possession was called a goal (though it did not affect the outcome that much: 14-7 it stood instead of 13-8).
Final rankings
1. Serbia - $100.000
2. Croatia - $70.000
3. Australia - $50.000
4. Spain - $35.000
5. Hungary - $30.000
6. Japan - $25.000
7. Kazakhstan - $20.000
8. Canada - $15.000
Most Valuable Player: Filip Filipovic (SRB)
Best Goalkeeper: Marko Bijac (CRO)
Top Scorer of the Super Final: Inaba Yusuke (JPN) with 26 goals
Match reports
Game 24, 16.45 – Final: Serbia v Croatia 12-11
Quarters: 1-3, 5-2, 1-3, 5-3
Referees: Georgios Stavridis (GRE), Adrian Alexandrescu (ROU)
SERBIA
Branislav Mitrovic (9/20, 45.0%), Gojko Pijetlovic (GK, n. e.) – Dusan Mandic (4/5), Ognjen Stojanovic (0/1), Sava Randjelovic (0/1), Milos Cuk (1/3), Dusko Pijetlovic (0/2), Nemanja Vico (0/0), Milan Aleksic (0/2), Nikola Jaksic (1/1), Filip Filipovic (4/8), Andrija Prlainovic (1/6), Stefan Mitrovic (1/2). Coach: Dejan Savic
CROATIA
Marko Bijac (9/21, 42.8%), Ivan Marcelic (GK, n. e.) – Hrvoje Benic (0/1), Loren Fatovic (2/4), Luka Loncar (0/1), Maro Jokovic (1/4), Ivan Buljubasic (1/1), Ante Vukicevic (5/9), Andro Buslje (1/1), Lovre Milos (0/3), Josip Vrlic (1/3), Andelo Setka (0/0), Javier Garcia (0/1). Coach: Ivica Tucak
Shots:
SRB: 12/31, 38.7%
CRO: 11/28, 39.3%
Extramen:
SRB: 4 for 12
CRO: 6 for 12
Penalties:
SRB: 2 for 2
CRO: 3 for 3
MVP of the game:
Filip Filipovic (SRB)
The clouds were gathering just as the crowd in the legendary Tasmajdan Pool but the 3,000 people fell into silence as the Croats netted two quick goals in 52 seconds in the middle of the first period. The Serbs could get on the score board only 18 seconds before the end of the opening quarter but Josip Vrlic managed to earn a penalty in the remaining moments and Maro Jokovic converted for 1-3. The other Croatian centre-forward Luka Loncar also forced a penalty right from the first possession in the second, Loren Fatovic sent the ball home and the world champs were 1-4 up already. What’s more, Marko Bijac delivered a save in the following man-down so nothing really predicted what came next.
The Croats froze in front as the Serbian defence tightened up while in front Dusan Mandic’s action goal was like the shot of a starting pistol, 55 seconds later Stefan Mitrovic netted a man-up for 3-4. The Serbs were back in the game, what’s more Filip Filipovic’s blast brought them to equal but the real roars came when the defence managed to kill a double man-down. And the Serbs were rolling like hell when they hit another two in 38 seconds, Andrija Prlainovic buried an extra, then Mandic’s rocket from action completed the Serbian rally. They were in a 5-0 rush but Ante Vukicevic managed to halt it at last, 40 seconds before the break he could put away a 6 on 5 for 6-5.
The second half started with three minutes of field battling with saves and blocked shots at both ends, then Vukicevic managed to gain some advantage and finished the counter for 6-6. Bijac denied Prlainovic in an extraman and after blocked shots the Croats earned a man-up which was converted by Loren Fatovic, the miserable run had already belonged to the past, they were in front again. Not for long, though, as the Serbs forced a penalty and Mandic buried it to halt his team’s scoreless phase at 6:42 minutes.
The goalies were outstanding in the next attacks, Mitrovic posted three saves in a row, but Bijac also was up to the task, he had a crucial stop in a man-down, shortly after Andro Buslje gave back the lead to the Croats with a brilliant one-timer in equal strength.
So the last period started with Croatia leading – and the rain switching into downpour mood – and even if the Serbs could equalise through Jaksic’s fine ‘dunking’ from a 6 on 5, the Croats kept on going. Vrlic netted a man-up for 8-9, and after a killed man-down they even had a possession for +2 but Mitrovic caught Xavi Garcia’s ball.
With 4:36 to go, Dusan Mandic scored perhaps the most fantastic goal of the week, a backhander from 6m but Vukicevic, playing perhaps the match his life, found the back of the net from the next extra for 9-10.
It was hard to decide whether the game’s or the rain’s intensity was higher. Bijac stopped Prlainovic’s shot once more in a man-up, Vukicevic missed his next action shot now, then came Filipovic with another outstanding blast and the pool was blown up once more, it stood 10-10 with 2:52 to go. The Croats missed a crucial 6 on 5 – could not even have a shot – while Filipovic was on fire even amidst this wet circumstances and launched another rocket to give back to the lead for the hosts again after the second period. Note, it was the Serbs’ 3rd action goal in a row and only 65 seconds remained from the game. Only 47 were left when the Croats got an extra, called a time-out and Vukicevic, who else?, could find the hole on the Serbian wall to make it even again at 11-11. The Serbs had 29 seconds and they rushed straight to the goal, and just 12 seconds later Mitrovic drove to the centre, Garcia pulled him back in front of the goal, it was a penalty even according to the old rules. Filipovic, as a true captain, didn’t hesitate to take the responsibility and the great warrior stroke again, he didn’t leave any chance to Bijac. What left for the Croats was a possession of 17 seconds, Bijac joined the attackers, just as in the bronze medal match the defenders let the goalkeeper try his luck but the Croatian couldn’t copy his Spanish colleague, and the stands erupted in euphoria soon.
Dejan Savic, coach, Serbia:
“It was a fantastic game, full of great turns, first the Croatians could take a three-goal lead, then we turned it back, they reacted well, but we also did great in the last period. What really gave us the edge that even if the rain came down, no fans left the stands, they stayed and cheered for us. Under these circumstances we had to win.”
Ivica Tucak, coach, Croatia:
“I’m proud of my team as we played really well even amidst these exceptional circumstances. We had a lapse after a great first period but we could come back. I can’t say any wrong to my players as they brought the best out of themselves. What makes mi a bit bitter that I really felt that today we had a chance to beat Serbia here in Belgrade which not happens to teams every day. But we go on, the World Championships are coming, another opportunity to prove our qualities.”
Filip Filipovic, MVP of the tournament, Serbia:
“This was truly a fantastic match, both teams played on a really high level. What makes a very special place for this win among all the others was the way our fans stood behind the team. They stayed, they roared, all 3,000 people – I can only say that I feel extreme happiness and pride that I am a Serbian citizen.”
Branislav Mitrovic, goalie, Serbia:
“You are right, we were below our level in the first months of the year, especially in Zagreb (where Serbia finished 6th at the Europa Cup). But this was somewhat intentional from Dejan’s (Savic) side as he wanted us to feel the hunger again, to find new motivation. It all happened in order to be on top here, in front of our fans where we could show once again that our team is the best.”
Game 23, 15.00 – Bronze medal match: Australia v Spain 11-10
Quarters: 3-1, 2-3, 4-4, 2-2
Referees: Boris Margeta (SLO), Vojin Putnikovic (SRB)
AUSTRALIA
Joel Dennerley (9/19, 47.4%), Anthony Hrysanthos (GK, n. e.) – Richard Campbell (1/6), George Ford (0/1), Joseph Kayes (4/5), Nathan Power (0/0), Edwards Lachlan (0/1), Aidan Roach (0/0), Aaron Younger (3/3), Lachlan Hollis (0/2), Rhys Howden (2/3), Blake Edwards (1/4). Coach: Elvis Fatovic
SPAIN
Eduardo Lorrio (5/14, 35.7%, Daniel Lopez, saves: 3/5, 60.0%, shots: 1/1) – Alberto Munarriz (2/5), Alvaro Granados (2/4), Miguel De Toro (0/1), Sergi Cabanas (0/1), Marc Larumbe (1/2), Guillem Garcia (0/2), Francisco Fernandez (0/2), Roger Tahull (1/2), Felipe Perrone (0/2), Blai Mallarach (3/4), Alejandro Bustos (0/1). Coach: David Martin
Shots:
AUS: 11/25, 44.0%
ESP: 10/27, 37.0%
Extramen:
AUS: 4 for 9
ESP: 4 for 11
Penalties:
None
MVP of the game:
Joseph Kayes (AUS)
Little things can make big difference sometimes. We were early in the third period, Australia was leading 5-4 after a hard-fought first half which saw the boys from Down Under taking a flying start and a 3-1 lead and a Spanish comeback to 4-4 before Joseph Kayes managed to finish off a 6 on 5 from the 2m line.
The Aussies played their man-up but Eduardo Lorrio made a fine save on Blake Edward’s shot, the ball went to the side, just fell in front of the rope. The exclusion just expired and the incoming Spanish Miguel de Toro could have easily collected that rebound but he was under water when the save happened so he thought better leave the ball touching the rope. Though his coach and mates were all yelling... So instead of a Spanish possession and a possible goal for 5-5 an Aussie corner followed, and Edwards after a few passes Edwards blasted an action goal for 6-4. And the crime was followed by further punishment as 48 seconds later Aaron Younger put away a 6 on 5 for 7-4.
That ‘give-away corner’ long haunted the Spaniards as in this phase the Aussies managed to keep the distance. Blai Mallarach netted a man-up, but later Alvaro Granados was denied (which would have been 7-6) and Rhys Howden made it 8-5 from action. Mallarach’s left didn’t make any mistake in the next extra but Younger surprised Lorrio from 8m with a brilliant blast for 9-6.
However spectacular it was, Roger Tahull netted one from the centre and after a missed Aussie man-up Mallarach completed his hat-trick, this time on equal strength so the sides arrived to the last period with a single goal separating them (9-8).
Both teams worked hard for the next hit but it took almost four minutes before Spain made it at last, Alberto Munarriz’s action shot levelled the score at 9-9. Spain even had a possession to take the lead but it was gone without a shot, then Australia earned a man-up and after the time-out they could feed the ball to Kayes who usually scores from that position as only a handful of defenders could lock his enormous body and the young Alvaro Granados does not belong that circle... And just 49 seconds later it was a two-goal gap again, Richard Campbell’s shot got one if not two wicked deflection before landing behind incoming goalie Dani Lopez for 11-9 with 2:31 to go. Time was passing, the Aussies blocked Munarriz in man-down so Spain couldn’t get any closer. With 47 seconds remaining they launched a final assault, Lopez also joined the attack, the Aussies marked the field players offering a shot for the goalie and after some hesitation Dani took it and the ball hit the back of the net. It was a historical first from a goalie at the opponent’s half but not enough to save the match to a shootout as Aaron Younger swam with the ball all the way through in the remaining 24 seconds.
Elvis Fatovic, coach, Australia:
“I feel really moved that my team could win this medal, a second one within a year at a FINA Event. The boys deserve all the credits, they fought with their hearts, they didn’t collapse mentally when Spain could equalise after a long battle, instead, they managed to score again and again. I am really proud of them.”
David Martin, coach, Spain
“This is the reality for Spain, whatever painful it is. The players are really tired but there no much time to recover, we have to work hard now to be ready for the World Championships.”
Aaron Younger, captain, Australia:
“We are happy, that’s a very good result for this team. Winning against Hungary, which didn’t bring its best team here, was just a good result but to beat this Spanish team is a big deal. Now I guess we need a little rest then we will focus on the World Championships.”
Game 22, 11.45 – For places 5-8th: Hungary v Japan 15-13
Quarters: 4-3, 4-2, 2-2, 5-6
Referees: Mikhail Dykman (CAN), Viktor Slanichenko (KAZ)
HUNGARY
David Bisztritsanyi (11/24, 45.8%) – Miklos Gor-Nagy (0/2), Mark Kallay (1/3), Tamas Gyarfas (0/2), Matyas Pasztor (1/1), Toni Nemet (3/6), David Jansik (0/0), Gergo Kovacs (1/2), Balazs Erdelyi (2/3), Bence Batori (3/7), Krisztian Bedo (3/5), Adam Nagy (1/1). Coach: Tamas Marcz
JAPAN
Katsuyuki Tanamura (6/21, 26.6%), Tomoyoshi Fukushima (GK, n. e.) – Kiyomu Date (0/0), Haruki Koppu (1/2), Mitsuaki Shiga (3/6), Takuma Yoshida (1/3), Shogo Kageta (0/2), Yusuke Shimzu (0/2), Mitsuru Takata (0/5), Atsushi Arai (1/2), Yusuke Inaba (3/9), Keigo Okawa (4/8), Kenta Araki (0/0). Coach: Yoji Omoto
Shots:
HUN: 15/32, 46.9%
JPN: 13/39, 33.3%
Extramen:
HUN: 4 for 6
JPN: 2 for 6
Penalties:
HUN: 3 for 4
JPN: 2 for 4
MVP of the game:
Krisztian Bedo (HUN)
Hungary learnt the lessons from last year and its players had already seen it was worth waiting patiently before their physical power started dominating in the game against Japan played in the prelims. It happened again and the decisive phase came a bit earlier than three days ago: this time the Magyars netted three in a row to jump to a 7-4 lead and they kept the gap till halftime.
In the third they netted one more for 9-5 but then came a lapse in their concentration, they wasted some fine chances with ease while the Japanese never stopped believing and came back to 9-7, what’s more, they had a 6 on 5 to go back to one goal but the Hungarian defence worked well and Matyas Pasztor netted a calming penalty for 10-7 45 seconds before the last break.
Then in the fourth Krisztian Bedo decided the match in the first minute as he delivered a penalty – Mark Kallay converted it –, then netted a fine goal from the centre and at 12-7 it was felt that there would be no way back for the Japanese. To ensure this, two more goals came in a span of 21 seconds, again a shot from the centre, this time Toni Nemet’s muscle mass was too big to deal with, and Balazs Erdelyi buried a 6 on 5 soon for 14-7.
This latter one was validated a bit later only, beforehand the Japanese also scored when the deck video-reviewer referee Daniel Flahive alerted his colleagues on the head-set that it might be worth checking the ball’s position after Erdelyi’s shot and after the review showed a clear evidence Canadian ref Mikhail Dyckman decided to call the Hungarian goal and annulling the ensuing Japanese hit.
The Hungarians thought they did enough, indeed they had done, since they won the match at that point, still the Japanese didn’t let it go and netted as many as six goals in the closing 4:50 minutes, though there was no real chance for any more than narrowing the gap since their last one came 13 seconds from time.
As a nice gesture, Hungary called a time-out and tried to set up a 7 on 6 attack in their last possession with Miklos Gor-Nagy taking the shot at the end but the Japanese defenders blocked his attempt so not a goal marked the end of his illustrious career. Still, Hungary’s world champion player had a fine season to look back on with plenty of club success including the Champions League crown before he announced that today was his last one in competitive water polo.
Tamas Marcz, coach, Hungary:
“We played according to our game plan which included practicing a couple of defensive schemes and that worked well. Our concentration level dropped in the fourth period once we achieved a multiple-lead, credits go to Japan that they didn’t give in and wanted to decrease the gap which they finally managed to do. Perhaps that shouldn’t have happened but at the end of the day, we won, finished fifth, for this team this is the reality. Beforehand I thought we could make the semis, I wished to see these players battling against Croatia or Serbia, we just missed that chance by a fingernail so I’m not really disappointed what I saw from the team. We see where is room for improvement, we have to work hard on that and the picture got much clearer for me as whom I might pick for the World Championship team from this line-up.”
Yoji Omoto, coach, Japan:
“It’s not easy for the teams to play six games in six days, by this time everyone’s level starts going down, it would be better to include rest days. As for today’s game, we proved again that we could score goals, even 5-6 within a period which is good. However, if we want to achieve good results, we have to improve our defence and then 3-4 goals per period might be also enough. This game also showed that, our defence crashed in the second period and early in the third. So we can say, that our attack is already on a good level but we have to work on our defence more. Also, it’s good to see that we could play good games with the European teams and they no longer underestimate us.”
Game 21, 10.00 – For places 7-8th: Canada v Kazakhstan 16-17
Quarters: 4-2, 3-3, 4-5, 2-3 – pen: 3-4
Referees: Gyorgy Kun (HUN), Jaume Teixido (ESP)
CANADA
Dusan Aleksic (10/23, 43.4% – pen: 1/5), Milan Radenovic (GK, n. e.) – Gaelan Patterson (1/2), Bogdan Djerkovic (0/0), Nicolas Constantin-Bicari (6/10), Matthew Halajian (1/4), Geogios Torakis (0/3), Mark Spooner (0/0), Jeremie Cote (2/5), Aleksa Gardijan (1/2), Arie Soleimanipak (1/3), Jeremie Blanchard (0/0), Reuel D’Souza (4/5). Coach: Pino Porzio
KAZAKHSTAN
Madikhan Makhmetov (0/4, 0%), Valeriy Shlemov (9/18, 50.0% – pen: 1/3) – Yevgeniy Medvedev (2/7), Maxim Zhardan (5/9), Roman Pilipenko (1/3), Miras Aubakirov (1/3), Alexey Shmider (0/2), Murat Shakenov (3/4), Altay Altayev (1/1), Stanislav Shvedov (3/4), Ravil Manafov (0/1), Yulian Verdesh (0/0). Coach: Dejan Stanojevic
Shots:
CAN: 13/29, 44.8%
KAZ: 13/31, 41.9%
Extramen:
CAN: 6 for 15
KAZ: 8 for 15
Penalties:
CAN: 1 for 2
KAZ: none
MVP of the game:
Murat Shakirov (KAZ)
When Canada scored three connecting goals late in the first period to gain a 4-2 lead, the game took a well-defined path. The North Americans went ahead by two, the Kazakhs chased them and equalised. It happened three times: in the second after 5-3, though after 5-5 the Canadians added two to lead 7-5 at halftime.
However, the two extraman goals brought the Asians even early in the third but it was Canada’s turn again for 9-7. Then at 10-8 it could have been even three but Valery Shlemov caught a penalty and Yevgeniy Medvedev scored immediately from the next possession for 10-9. Reuel D’Souza converted the next penalty for Canada for 11-9 but the Kazakhs could pull one back four seconds before the last break and they levelled the score right in the 31st second in the fourth for 11-11.
Though the Canadians lost their best shooter D’Souza with three fouls before that 6 on 5, still they had Nicholas Constantin-Bicari who netted two man-ups and with 2:46 to go Canada had the two-goal lead. But it didn’t last till the end, what’s more, the Kazakhs equalised again, this time in 46 seconds and there were still 1:26 minutes to play. Both team got the chance to win the match but Canada missed its 6 on 5, just as the Kazakhs at the end, so a shootout decided the match.
The Canadians missed first, that was followed by one save at both ends so the Kazakhs were in advantage. In the fifth round their goalie, Valeriy Shmelov constantly moved forward despite the refs’ warnings and the Spanish referee Jaume Texeido thought he saw enough and sent him out. In that situation only one of the nominated shooting players could take over the goalie’s post, so Stanislav Shvedov swam in but couldn’t have a hand on the next shot. However, Miras Aubakirov ended the excitements as he sent the ball home and earned $5,000 more to Kazakhstan as this win placed them 7th in the tournament.
Pino Porzio, head coach, Canada:
“We had the chance to have a bigger lead, missed a penalty to go plus three but it’s really hard for this young team to play on a consistent level especially on the sixth day. Also, it’s a bit unusual for these players to approach a game in a tournament like this that they considered a kind of favourite. Today we made too many mistakes in defence, scoring 13 goals it’s fine but conceding 13 means that our defence didn’t work well. Anyway, it was a great experience, they could learn a lot here.”
Dejan Stanojevic, coach, Kazakhstan:
“We talked about our real position in this tournament, now we are happy to take the seventh place. What was really positive in this match – and it had been in the previous one against Japan – that the team didn’t give in when they were two-three goals down, they went on, fought and today it brought its result. My job is to fix the current level and then start developing the team step by step.”
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