The Maltese national team players are bracing themselves for another formidable challenge at the European Championships when they take on Olympic champions Croatia in their final Group B match in Belgrade today.
Karl Izzo’s men have come through their opening two group games against France (17-7) and Serbia (20-2) with a lot of credit despite losing on both occasions as the players showed great tactical discipline against their more-quoted opponents.
On Tuesday, Malta found the going tough against the world and European champions Serbia who showed why they are ranked as tournament favourites with an im-pressive all-round display.
The gulf in class between the two sides was evident but nevertheless, the Maltese managed to leave the Kombank Arena with their pride intact as they denied the hosts a record victory which their fans were craving for.
“It was a fantastic experience for all the squad to play against what many consider to be the best waterpolo team ever,” Izzo told Times of Malta.
“It’s not everyday that we get the opportunity to meet the world champions in front of a record partisan crowd but the players did very well.
“We played a very cautious game from a tactical point of view and risked the least possible.
“All the players gave a valid contribution against Serbia and our focus now is on our next match against Croatia.
“It’s going to be another difficult test but I can assure you that we will be giving everything we have to keep the scoreline within respectable limits.”
Croatia bounced back in style from their opening-day defeat to Serbia as on Tuesday, they cantered past France 20-5.
Today, the Croatians will be seeking another convincing victory to head into the latter stages of the competition in high spirits.
Izzo is aware of the difficult task awaiting his players.
“We are geared up for another daunting challenge,” Izzo said.
“On Tuesday Croatia demonstrated their prowess with a very solid performance and a comfortable victory against a very strong French side. They beat them 20-5.
“Croatia have no weak points... they are strong in every department and only a very cautious and disciplined game can lead us to an improved performance.”
After the end of the group stage, Malta will be involved in classification matches in the bottom half of the draw in the tournament.
Results
Group C: Germany vs Georgia 11-9; Romania vs Italy 5-11.
Group D: Turkey vs Greece 6-21; Hungary vs Russia 12-6.
Playing today
Group B: 9.30 Croatia vs Malta; 20.15 France vs Serbia.
Group A: 17.15 Spain vs Holland; 18.45 Slovakia vs Montenegro.