[attach id=270467 size="medium"]Hungary players push coach Tibor Benedek (centre) into the pool after winning the World Championships final against Montenegro in Barcelona.[/attach]
Hungary beat Montenegro 8-7 in the men’s waterpolo final to win gold at the World Championships in Barcelona, late Saturday.
It was the third world title for the Hungarians to add to their 12 European and nine Olympic gold medals after the tournament’s dark horses produced an enthralling final on a warm evening in Bar-celona.
Hungary appeared set for a comfortable win after racing into an early 3-0 lead but the Montenegrins, who won the 2008 European Championships in Malaga, stormed back thanks to the tournament’s joint top scorer Aleksandar Ivovic.
With the score tied at 4-4 in the second quarter, Hungary hit top gear again to regain the upper hand and carve out a two-goal lead before Ivovic netted his third goal of the night to take his overall tally to 20 when he levelled at 7-7 in the closing stages.
Incisive passing around Montenegro’s zone paid dividends time and again for Hungary in a titanic tussle, with Marton Szivos scoring the winner from close range after a flowing move.
Montenegro had a chance to force extra-time in the dying seconds but Hungary’s outstanding keeper Viktor Nagy, who taunted his rivals after every save, had the last laugh when he kept out a feeble effort on the buzzer.
Nagy was voted the best goalkeeper of the tournament.
Only one of the eight meetings between Hungary and Montenegro has been decided by more than one goal: Hungary’s 11-9 win at the 2008 Olympics.
“There was a lot of pressure because in Hungary waterpolo is a national sport,” coach Tibor Benedek said.
“After the World Championship here 10 years ago and winning in the Olympics, it was natural that we would go down.
“The players that had won so much wanted to play until the London Olympics, and then after London we had to make a new team.
“I think the secret (to our title) was the spirit of the team.”
The silver was Montenegro’s first medal in men’s waterpolo competing as an independent nation after the 2006 independence. In 2005, competing as Serbia and Montenegro, they beat Hungary for the gold.
“This is a huge success,” Montenegro coach Vido Lompar said.
“It is not easy to play against Hungary, and our defence was not the same as in other games like against Serbia and Italy. It has been great all the people that came here to encourage us. It is the first medal Montenegro wins, so it is a success.”
Also on Saturday evening, Olympic champions Croatia won the bronze medal after Maro Jokovic and Sandro Sukno, who also scored 20 goals in the tournament, netted a treble each to inspire a 10-8 win over 2011 world champions Italy.
The classification match for fifth and sixth places was won by Spain. They beat Greece 10-8 at the Bernat Picornell Pool.
On Friday, Spain won the women’s World Championship title after beating Australia 8-6.