With an almighty splash Milos Cuk barrelled one last ball into Croatia’s net and, at that moment, Serbia knew. So did their opponents, judging by the red and white-checked caps that sank into knees on the bench at the far side of the pool. Serbia were three goals clear in the dying moments and about to match the best tally in Olympic men’s water polo history, a third title in a row enshrining them in greatness. It was lost on nobody that their bitterest rivals were the ones forced to endure the celebrations.
Did it mean something extra to Serbia’s players to win another gold against their neighbours, with whom such a turbulent history runs deep in and away from the sporting arena? “Yes,” Cuk said simply, after a medal ceremony prefaced by ecstatic celebrations with a sizeable travelling support. “Yes, yes, and yes.”
That would be yes, then. As soon as their eventual 13-11 win was confirmed, coaching staff leaped into the pool fully clothed; a flag was draped over the goal frame, Nemanja Ubovic swimming over to kiss it and pose for pictures. In the buildup Radomir Drasovic, one of the nine different scorers, had described it as “the match of our careers”. Serbia had not particularly convinced in getting this far, but saved their best for the afternoon that mattered most.
This was not an occasion with the volatility that might be expected if these countries competed in, for example, football. These teams know each other well, the world champions Croatia defeating the Serbs en route to that accolade in February. Yet there was no misunderstanding the stakes; in 2016 Serbia had held the upper hand in an Olympic final that made Croatia’s long-serving coach, Ivica Tucak, the self-declared “saddest man in the world”.
Not that precedent for some aggravation was completely absent: in March 2007 six fans were ejected from a world championship match between the countries in Melbourne, flares being set off when Croatia opened the scoring. The crowd in Paris was considerably more demure, the many Serbian flags appearing to be clean and mercifully lacking some of the nationalist slogans and insignia that have dogged occasions away from these games. Serbia’s fans comfortably outnumbered their counterparts and created an atmosphere that, as glory moved closer, went some way towards fitting the occasion.
Needle comes with the territory in water polo, a sport that takes deceptive reserves of physical excellence. Only half of the story is written in clean air: below the surface is a world of niggle and scuffle, both teams’ players taking that to the limit with some of their grappling.
It takes strength, speed, a little slyness and laser-eyed accuracy with the ball; Serbia, in racking up a 7-3 lead early in the second period, had just too much of all four and their defence blocked heroically in the face of desperate Croatian attempts to respond. Tucak looked away and puffed out his cheeks when Nikola Dedovic scored the 12th goal for Serbia; fresh depths of despondency were about to be plumbed.
Afterwards Maro Jokovic, the towering veteran of four Olympics and a gold medal winner at London 2012 before the agony of Rio, laid bare the sense of desolation. “I feel a huge emptiness,” he said. “Disappointment in our play. We wanted more, could have done more and knowing this is punishment in itself.”
Had the spice of a showdown with Serbia been an added motivation, or even distraction, in their preparations? “We leave those things to the supporters. Emotions outside the pool can only be counterproductive. This is a completely different situation to 2016. All I know is that this defeat will be in our minds for a long time.”
For Cuk, indisputably Serbia’s sharpshooter with three goals, there was the satisfaction of a man who knew this most meaningful of moments was coming. “This is for my people,” he said. “I had a good feeling when we came to Paris. I knew we were going to win the gold medal, I told the guys every day right up until this morning. You can ask them if I was right.” There was no need: Serbia had dealt their foes the most potent of knockout blows.
