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Serbia-Montenegro - Croatia 9-8
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| Serbia-Montenegro water polo players celebrate victory |
Kranj, SLOVENIA, June 15 - Having beaten Croatia 9-8 (2-3, 1-0, 3-4, 2-1, 1-0, 0-0) in overtime, Serbia-Montenegro (former Yugoslavia) won European Championship in Kranj, Slovenia. Final match was overshadowed by riots caused by Croatian football hooligans
During regular time, the match ended with a tie 8-8 (2-3, 1-0,
3-4, 2-1).
An excellent Croatian team was leading most time of the match, including a 7-4 lead in the third quarter, but the title-holders equalised by a 3-0 to bring the score to 7-7 in the final period, when tournament's top scorer Aleksandar Sapic scored his third goal today. In overtime both teams had two man-up chances each, Sapic converted the first one with an almost direct shot. It was Serbia's one and only lead in the entire final game.
Croatian fans and Serbian accreditated persons
fight in the VIP and journalists stand
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The final match was overshadowed by serious security problems during the entire match and riots caused by Croatian football hooligans. They smashed stadium chairs and attacked reporters after their team lost.
The violence in neighboring Slovenia forced organizers to skip the official ceremony and deliver the medals in a secluded part of the stadium.
In Belgrade, several thousand fans marched to the Croatian embassy, where
riot police initially failed to hold them back. Some fans made it onto a
terrace of the building and replaced the Croatian flag with a Serbian one.
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