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Defending champions Croatia were beaten 11-7 by arch-rivals Serbia in the men’s water polo sport. It is the first Olympic gold medal ever to be won in the sport by the Serbian team.

Serbia displayed absolute superiority in the finishing chances of the game which was characterized by skillful and determined play in front of both goals. In the past, there have been several clashes with Croatia, but Serbia could hardly make headway.

But this time, with the help of Filip Filipovic, a veteran and two-time bronze medalists in Serbian Olympic teams, they were able to subdue Croatia. Also, goalkeeper Branislav Mitrovic contributed immensely to the team’s victory with highly impressive blocks that kept the Croatian side out.

Filipovic who was elected the most player of the tournament scored two times, while four goals came from Dusan Mandic.

Together with other European championships, this victory marked Serbia’s eight successive tournament titles. The team which had been under immense pressure to bring home the gold achieved its aim when it finally proved its dominance on the most prestigious stage.

Before the knock-out rounds, Serbia ran the risk of elimination and it looked like the unthinkable could happen early in the 12-team tournament. However, after drawing two matches and losing one, Serbia readjusted their style of play and made five straight wins in their struggle for the title.

“We have won everything else, now we want this,” said Coach Dejan Savic. The Serbian victory added another medal to the country’s laurels at the Rio Olympics. In the women’s basketball event tournament, the country’s athletes were able to capture bronze while in the men’s basketball and women’s volleyball finals had them compete for gold.