Montenegro 9 – Italy 4
(2-1, 2-1, 3-1, 2-1)

This was a good match played in Heceg Novi (MNE) in front of 1000 enthusiastic spectators. The European champions Montenegro – technically and physically superior - controlled the game from the opening quarter, never letting the young Italian squad advance their position. Montenegro, which will host the Super Final in mid-June, has been consistent in their domination of Group 2 (MNE, ITA, ROU). They defeated Romania twice (by 13-7 and 11-9) and this result represents their second win over Italy (after winning in Trieste on March 3 by 8-6). Montenegro finished fourth at the Beijing Olympic Games and appears to be growing ever-stronger. This team will certainly be one to watch in the Super Final round, when the players will be all the more keen to succeed at home.

Montenegro: Radic, Brguljan, Paskovic, Vukcevic (1), Radovic, Ticic (2), M. Janovic, Danilovic, Ivovic, Trajkovic (3), Gojkovic (2), P. Jokic (1), Scepanovic.
Italy: Mina, Mirarchi, Ninfa, Giacoppo (1), Giorgetti (2), Di Somma, Luongo (1), Mandolini, Innocenzi, Napolitano, Fiorillo, Pappacena, Del Lungo.


Dusko Pijetlovic (SRB)


Serbia 11- Greece 7
(3-0, 4-2, 2-2, 2-3)

This Group 1 (SRB, GRE, FRA) match concluded with another win for Serbia, as expected; giving the team four wins out for four games in the preliminary rounds. Dusko Pijetlovic (SRB) had a great game, scoring three goals, while S. Nikic, Z. Gocic and A. Prlainovic each had doubles. For Greece, G. Foudoulis scored four times. Greece picked up their game in the second half by tying it up in the third period and actually winning the fourth quarter by 2-3, but it wasn’t enough to make-up for their weak start (3-0 for Serbia in the first). Serbia – the reigning Olympic bronze medallists – have well-earned their place in the Super Final and will be looking for victory in Podgorica (MNE) next month.

Serbia: Marko Avramovic, Zivko Gocic (2), Slavko Gak, Dusko Pijetlovic (3), Slobodan Nikic (2), Milan Aleksic, Filip Filipovic (1), P. Filipovic (1), Andrija Prlainovic (2), Stefan Mitrovic, Branislav Mitrovic, B. Vapenski, G. Pijetlovic.

Greece: Kostas Flegkas, Andreas Mirales, G. Foudoulis (4), I. Foudoulis, Nikitas Kochilas (1), Elmisian Artin, Evaggelos Delakas (1), Konstantinos Mourikis, Dimitrios Miteloudis, A. Gounas, Panagiotis Papadogonas, K. Galanidis, C. Kolomvos (1).

Spain 9 – Croatia 7
(2-1, 1-2, 3-1, 3-3)

There were 1200 spectators on hand at the C.N. Metropole Pool in Las Palmas (ESP) to watch this Group 3 (CRO, ESP, RUS, GER) match, in which the Spanish team defeated Croatia. It was a grand World League finale for the Spaniards, who finish in second-place in their group. The winner, despite this loss, is Croatia, who will advance to the Super Final in June after appearing very strong in the Preliminary rounds and winning all of their games except this one. This game was a power-struggle, with the teams taking turns in the lead. Double goals came from Mallarach, Perrone, and Vallest on the Spanish side, while L. Loncar and F. Paskvalin each scored twice for Croatia.

Spain: Inaki Aguilar, Daniel Lopez, David Martin, Marc Minguell, Blai Mallarach (2), Felipe Perrone (2), Ivan Gallego (1), Albert Espanol (1), Adria Sanz, Xavier Garcia, M. Garcia (1), X. Vallest (2).

Croatia: F. Paskvalin (2), M. Jurin, Z. Kovacic, N. Samodoc, I. Banovac, D. Cule (1), L. Loncar (2), P. Obradovic (1), I. Peric, I. Bebic (1), M. Ban, I. Krapic, Ivo Brzica.
Head coach. R. Rudic.

Andreas Schlotterbeck (GER)

Germany 11 – Russia 10
(3-2, 2-3, 4-2, 2-3)

This other Group 3 game in Esslingen (GER) was a close one, with just one point separating the teams in every quarter except the third. These teams appear to have been in a “building” phase during this year’s World League. They were not a threat to the leaders in Group 3, but when they face each other and the playing field is level, it makes for good competition. Germany prevailed and thus finishes third in the group, while Russia, having secured just one victory out of six games, finishes fourth. Andreas Schlotterbeck (GER) and Viktor Vishnyakov (RUS) were the players in evidence in this match with four and three goals respectively.

Germany: Tim-Ole Fischer, Roger Kong, Florian Naroska (1), Marko Savic (2), Marko Stamm, Marc Politze (2), Tobias Preuss, Moritz Oeler, Andreas Schlotterbeck (4), Paul Schüler, Tobias Gietz (1), Erik Bukowski, Ingo Pickert (1).

Russia: Victor Ivanov, Nikita Jankov, Alexei Rizov-Alen, Vitaly Yurchik (1), Yury Zheltovskij, Dmitry Antipov (2), Lev Magomaev, Artem Odincov (1), Konstantin Stepanjuk (1), Viktor Vishnyakov (3), Sergey Lisunov, Alexey Agarkov (2), Egor Rastorguev.