A four-goal margin of defeat is by no means considered to be humiliating in waterpolo, moreso when the losing team is shorn of some of its best units.

The Maltese, without three or four established units, can easily fit into this frame as they went down 12-8 to the quoted team from Montenegro yesterday evening.

Indeed the locals matched the visitors for most of the proceedings and it was only resilience and knowhow, especially when the Montenegrins netted five out of six extra man sets against the Maltese two out of 11, that made the difference.

Once more captain Niki Lanzon was the pick of Karl Izzo’s side, netting four goals and, more than that, displaying a commendable playmaking maturity. Matthew Zammit, who scored a hat-trick, was also a useful cog as were goalkeeper Alan Borg Cole, Mark Grech, Kai Dowling, Clint Mercieca and Alex Attard.

Club Valletta held their own until late in the game when only two goals separated the sides.

However, the class and scoring opportunism of five-goal Janko Krivokapic was another factor that made for the difference.

Club Valletta 8
Primorac 12

(2-2, 2-3, 1-3, 3-4)

Club Valletta: A. Borg Cole, N. Lanzon 4, K. Galea, N. Grixti, K. Dowling, M. Zammit 3, C. Cluett, Z. Mizzi, B. Plumpton, A. Attard, M. Grech, D. Zammit, C. Mercieca 1.

Primorac: U. Brguljan, D. Tzelatis 2, I. Radonic, D. Krijestorac, M. Brguljan, N. Saveljic 1, D. Adzic 1, D. Matkovic 1, P. Macic 1, J. Krivokapic 5, U. Vukasovic 1, G. Grgurevic, A. Stanovic.

Referees: A. Bender (Ger), A. Voevodin (Russia).

Other result: Mornar vs S. Bucharest 12-8 (1-3, 3-1, 4-1, 4-3).

Playing today: 10.30 Montpellier vs Mornar; 11.45 S. Bucharest vs Primorac; 17.30 Montpellier vs Club Valletta; 18.45 Mornar vs Primorac.

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